New Perspectives
by Hearns
Summary: Illyria is about to learn some life lessons from an very unual teacher and a bit more about herself and her shell than she ever thought of. That the power and strength she knew of was nothing to what she will achieve. Post Time bomb ep. UPDATED
1. Part 1,

New Perspectives

by Shannon Hearn

I don't own Angel or the rest of the Fang Gang, they belong to Joss.  

I have been watching the last few episodes of Angel and have noticed that old Leery (Illyria) has had her powers stripped in the Episode Time Bomb.  What would that do to a person like Leery in realizing that she has to deal with she is in a small shell.  Well she is about to learn that size and strength mean nothing, it is the will that all matters.  Well let's begin.  

***

Part 1, 

***

            Illyria, Demon-Goddess, warrior of Ancient times, the leader of armies lay on the floor of the dojo.  She didn't know what felt worse.  Being trapped in a shell that left her feeling claustrophobic, or being stripped of her powers.  How she despised the one half-breed named Angel for sentencing her to this fate.  To be Mortal being in a small body that she had taken possession of.  

            Plankton that Envies the Sea that it lives in.  Now she was with the Plankton. She was with the "The Slim that eats itself."    Illyria had just lay on the floor for the past three days lost in her thoughts and the thoughts of her shell Winifred Burkle despising anyone who got near her or even wanting to touch her. That was when she noticed that there was water coming from her face.  She took a gloved hand and followed the path of the water on her face up and noticed that it was coming from the crease of her eye next to her nose; that and her nose was started to become clogged with a slim like material from inside the head she was in.  

            Something in her said that she was coming apart.  No Boom explosion but she was coming apart.    Was this what her host body had felt when she, Fred died.  Like everything had been taken from her.  That was when she heard something coming down the hall.  Every combat skill she had kicked in but her body was still weak.  She was going to be vanquished by some entity that was living in the house of the Wolf, Ram and Hart.  They would pay dearly.    

            As the door opened she was looking up to see the face of her attacker through the window, but saw nothing, that was when a foot came through the swinging door that she had tossed the white haired one through so many times.  Using all the strength she had to summon one of her blades in her hand, she waited to see her would be executioner come through the door.  

            "Um, Hello is anyone in here?"  A voice said as a young child's head came through the door.  Illyria just lay there seeing the creature before her.  The appearance was human but the sent was almost like the one named Connor, but instead of Vampire she smelled of Demon, but of a type she had never smelled before and glowed of an Aura of power.  That was when the fear set in.  The memories of the shell remembered that there was a being the served the Wolf, Ram and Heart that had the form of a child but was of pure evil, and would take the life of whomever had come across it with glee

            "Come face me servant of the Wolf, Ram and Heart."  Illyria said bracing her self to be destroyed.  "I hope that you take your time enjoying this battle because it will be your last as you take my life, I will take yours."  Illyria said bracing for the first blow of powers.  

            "Um, Have you seen my Mommy?"  The young one said as she came over to Illyria's side and scrunched down on her knees.  

            "You are not here to destroy me?"  Illyria said, as her face showed both disappointment and relief as she brought her blade closer to her body as if it might shield her from her would be attacker's sneak attack.  

            "Um, no..."  The child said as she started to study Illyria's features.  "... Destroying is bad.  You have nice hair and why are you on the floor?"  The double questions hit Illyria like a warrior demon from the Quartoth realm.  She wasn't expecting an attack like this, one in her mind.  Were the Wolf, Ram and Heart plotting to attack her with madness.  They had used her own powers against her by unraveling time and putting it back in order out of sync.  The only way out she had from that prison was to take the being known as Angel along with her on one of her shifts and toss him to a point to break the time loop so she could live.  

            "I have lost my powers little one, if your masters haven't told you.  They took them at this spot.  I want them back, if only this shell wasn't so weak!"  Illyria said to the child with anger.  

            "So you are on the floor, why haven't you gotten up?"  The young one said lying down as well.  "I lost something once, but when I looked for it, I found it in the strangest place.  It wasn't where I thought I lost it, but it was on me."  The girl said as she reached over and moved a lock of Illyria's hair out of the way so that she could see better.  

            "I'm so small now, I had all the power that even gods feared me.  I was a God to a God and I was to be feared, armies and the strongest of forces tremble at my presence.  Now I am a small mortal piece of slime that is at the mercy of others around me."  Illyria said as the child looked into her eyes.  

            "Some times being small is a good thing, you can learn a lot about people.  Even the secrets they want to hide from you."  The girl said with the last part being a whisper.  

            "Being small is not what I fear it is the change that must go with it."  Illyria said, "Change is compromise, and I Illyria will not compromise to nothing and to no one."  The flame in Illyria's heart kicked in with a power that had gotten her to move to the point where she was crouched like a panther ready to strike.  

            "Sometimes Compromise is a way to learn something, to find a balance of what you need and what you do not need.  But if you keep some core ideals of who you really are then you will grow.  If you don't know what you need and what you don't then until you do you will continue to make compromises that will cost you everything."  The child said as Illyria thought about the child's statement.  

            "I have already lost everything young one, I have nothing left but my life in this weak shell I am in and my will."  Illyria said,  

            "Well what do you think of your shell?  Maybe you might want to take it back to where you found it and learn where it is from and why it is, why it is?   Sometimes taking a step back to see the little things will give you focus and put things in perspective and make you think in ways you never thought of."  The child said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a paper napkin and handed it to Illyria.  "Just blow your nose and wipe your tears, things will reveal themselves in time.  Maybe this is a test for you to learn who you really are to be in this world."  The child said as she moved over and gave Illyria her hand.   "... Or Probably meant to be in the end."   Illyria just looked at the child and felt that this type of knowledge was beyond this young one's years.  

            "What are you? How do come across such wisdom that even an Old One does not possess?"  Illyria said as she knelt to the child's eye level.  

            "Well my mom said that my father was part Braken Demon and she had knowledge of the various demon cultures and their history and stories from around the world.  So some of it rubbed off on me."  The child said as Illyria touched the child's face.  

            "You bear none of the markings of the Break-Lin."  Illyria said.  "The Break-Lin have skin green as the forest canopy, and eyes Red as the mortal's blood of this time, But you do not bear their spikes on their face."  Illyria said as she was about to turn her gaze away then there was a sneeze from the child and her true face was revealed.  Green Skin that was the color of the forest canopy, eyes red as human blood and the facial spikes that signified her as being of the Break-Lin.  This child was the descendant of her first Qual'ta Zal.  Illyria reached out with such speed that her embrace smooched the girl.  

            "I thought that I was alone, with all the Old Ones except for myself in this world gone or turned to dust."  Illyria said as the girl coughed some.  

            "You're squishing me."  The girl said as Illyria just held on to the only releasing her grip enough to let the child breath better.  

            "What are you doing to my daughter?"  A voice Rang out from the doorway from where the girl had entered that got the ancient goddess's attention.  Illyria turned to see the figure standing in the door.  A Human woman with long curly brown hair in semiformal business clothing that consisted of a dark short skirt, a white blouse and dark shoes.  

            "Nothing, I thought that the Braken were extinct in this time, and my people and theirs were close."  Illyria said letting go of the girl and letting the child go to her mother.  

            "Well there are very few of their kind left.  Most of their surviving clans happen to be mixes to one level or another of human and demon" the girl's mother said to Illyria.

              "So why don't you go back to your own people?"  The mother said to Illyria as the girl started walking over to her mom.  

            "I am the last, my people have either perished in a great cataclysm that wiped our people out or have been entombed never to rise again."  Illyria said fearing of being alone once again.  "The only reason that I am here is that I was resurrected by a man that pretended to be my Qual'ta Zal, my people's temple has been destroyed and our followers have been turned to dust.  I have been searching for any leads to the world that was."  Illyria was started to break down in tears as she said this.  "Between the trauma of awakening in this time, and the recent loss of my powers.  Your child has been the only lead that I have had to my previous life other that of my Shell."  

            "Illyria..." Two voices said at the same time, one feminine and the other masculine.   

            "Wesley."  Illyria said as she stood up and moved over to her human ally in his world.  

            "Illyria Francine Doyle could you come over here." The woman said to the girl as Illyria looked at the child who had the same name she did.  

            "Your name is Illyria?"  The Demon-goddess said as the young girl turned towards her.  

            "Yes, but my friends call me Lil."  The child said as her mother took her by the hand.  Illyria moved over to kneel down to the child's eye level.  

            "I have very little respect for individuals, but you are one I see truly as an equal.  So much knowledge possessed in the shell of one so small.  I can learn so much from you."  The elder Illyria said.   

            "You're new to this realm?"  The mother said to Illyria as the Demon-goddess's cobalt blue eyes studied the woman with intensity.  

            "Yes I have been in this realm of existence for several of the time measurements called weeks." Illyria said as the woman studied her as well.  

            "Illyria was resurrected and brought back when a deranged follower of hers decided to bring her back at this pre destined time, but several things went wrong during the process and Illyria's body started to break down as her powers started to become more and more unstable.  Me and Angel were forced to hit her with a particle cannon to reduce her strength of her powers so that she could live, or she would have exploded from the amount of power she possessed."  Wesley said.  

            "Um, so you know Illyria here."  The girl's mother said to Wesley.  

            "Yes, Wesley Windom Pryce, head of Wolfram and Hart paranormal magic's and sorcery research division."  Wesley said to the Woman.  

            "Harriet Doyle, I was interviewing for the job here for Interspecies and intercultural understanding." Harriet said.  

            "Ah, yes, Angel said that he was going to bring in some help in dealing with some of the more unique cases of human and demon societal differences."  Wesley said to Harriet.  "I need to speak with you in private about some of your projects that you will be working on."  With that Harriet left with Wesley through the double doors of the Dojo along with the young child named Illyria.  

            "Illyria...  will I ever see you again?"  The demon-goddess warrior said.  "I would like to speak with you again."  

            "I don't know...  but if my mom gets the job we might see each other some more."  The young Illyria said.  "But I hope so... Um Mom can I dye my hair like her's, I really like the color of her hair?"  The child said.  

            "I'll let you know later, but for right now, no."  Harriet said as she took her daughter out the doors.  The elder Illyria stood staring at the door for several moments before turning to look at the spot where she had lay for the previous three days.  Illyria knelt down and touched the spot with her hand, and then she summoned the blue lightning she used to summon and voice Winifred's memories as she took the child's advice and started her own inner journey.  In the observation room of the Dojo Wesley was talking with Harriet Doyle about the elder Illyria and how she came to be.  

TBC  

Next, 

Part 2, Wes and Harriet talk about Illyria's state of mind.  

Please hit the blue button below and review for me.  I would appreciate any comments or views that you have 


	2. Part 2,

Part 2,

            In the Wolfram and Hart dojo observation room Wesley looked through the window at the Blue Demon-goddess, Illyria as she crouched down to the spot, which she had laid for the previous three days.  Then he noticed that Illyria was using her blue spark to explore Fred's memories as she replayed various events of what she had said in Fred's own voice.  That was when he turned his attention to Harriet Doyle the woman standing next to him.  

            "You can see that Illyria is an entity that has immense power but since she has had her powers stripped, she has shown little or no interaction with anyone but your daughter."  Wesley said as he remembered telling Harriet of all the lurid details of how his love Winifred Burkle had been used as a human sacrifice by her lab partner Knox infecting her with the entombed essence of Illyria so that he could bring forth the Ancient Demon-goddess and destroy the world.  But through a series of events that had occurred after Illyria had been entombed and boxed away in the Hole in the Earth she had been predestined to return back a specific time had all changed for better and for the worse for the world.  

            Knox had believed that he could serve Illyria as his flunky but he wasn't expecting Angel, Spike and Wesley to put an end to his plans at the foot of Illyria's temple when Wes himself shot him dead.  Illyria had gone through the doorway she had created during the battle with the three of them and lunged through it to escape.  

Illyria and himself had found her temple in ruins and her army long since slain by an unknown enemy.  The distraught Illyria had fallen to the ground and begged him to kill her.  Wes almost put a bullet in her skull but a noise had distracted him and she had fled realizing that she was alone but still dangerous.  Later that night as he was packing up Fred's office Illyria had come in and started to explore the memories of the shell she was in and she learned that Wesley would help her adjust.  But between Wesley's own depression about Fred's death and Illyria suffering from her first panic attack learning that she was trapped in a prison of her own making that some of the more compassionate and tolerant elements had started to show themselves after the taking of her powers.  

            Wes hadn't known how long Illyria had been bouncing around in non-linear time, but given how irritable she had been acting it could have been days, weeks or months trapped living a Slaughter House Five scenario day in and day out.  It made what Gunn had gone through for two weeks straight seem tame in comparison.  

            "So given from what you have said about her she is in a emotionally vulnerable place, between the world being new to her and her lack of knowledge of how to behave she is trying to sort out the memories of the woman's body who she in now inside of.  A woman you were personally in love with Mr. Pryce."  Harriet said seeing that Wesley was trying his best to put his best poker face on, but it failed miserably.  

            "Yes I know but all Illyria knows is the memories that she has of me and Fred."   Wesley said as Harriet looked at him with understanding.  

            "You know that she isn't your friend Fred.  But accepting that person is going through some major transitions is one thing you have to let go of."  Harriet said as she noticed Illyria starting to replay a conversation with Angel from several years back about blood and Chinese food, then she did a DVD slash Tivo fast forward of several conversations with them all, one with Gunn during his owing of a debt to a demonic loan shark when he took Fred on a all out party fest, then she jumped forward to where she brought back Spike to corporal form.  Then Illyria said in her own voice, 

            "The White Haired one named Spike has a car.  I must learn more about the one named Fred."  With that Illyria headed out the door and Wes and Harriet noticed it.  As Illyria passes the hallway door she did one of the few human things in her life.  She waved at the younger Illyria.  

            "Hi Illyria, Bye Illyria."  Lil said as Harriet and Wesley turned to see the warrior Demon-Goddess head down the hallway.  

            "Well where do you think she is going?"  Harriet said as she noticed Wes pulling out a walkie-talkie.  

            "Lorne, Illyria is heading your way, so be careful.  I want a status of what she is up to.  But keep a good distance at all times, we don't know what her current strength is but she just played back one of Fred's memories so whatever she just replayed is what mood she is in."  Wes said as the radio beeped back.  

            "Will do English Sorcerer, keeping safe distance from Blue Bird.  Secret Demon out good buddy."  The radio beeped as Harriet gave Wes the look, okay how danger is she?  Then there was another beep from the radio a moment later.  "Oh, Fiddle Sticks, I've been spotted taking cover."  The voice said over the radio then a moment later there was a blood-curdling screech as a woman screamed.  

            "Lorne, get out of the Ladies room," a very girly feminine voice said.  Then the Secret Demon's voice said, 

            "Sorry Harmony, I had to duck from the Smurf of Doom."  

            "You could have ducked in the other direction into the Men's room."  Then there was a loud crashing sound as the radio went dead for several moments.  

            "Lorne are you there?... Lorne."  Wes called out over the radio.    Then there was a beeping sound.  

            "Ow.  I hear you Wes.  Lost contact with Blue Bird, but I found out that Harmony can definitely throw punch."  

            "Okay Lorne, I'll tell Angel that Illyria is on the move."  Wes said as Harriet turned towards him.  

            "So how powerful is Illyria?"  Harriet said to Wes.   

            "Well if Illyria went and had a power meltdown when her powers were at their height, Rand McNally would have had to redraw their maps of the continental shelf of North America."  Wes said to Harriet.  

            "So you have a eight hundred ton gorilla walking around on the premises with emotional and ego problems.  And you are trying to make sure that she doesn't cause any major collateral damage to the surrounding area?"  Harriet said seeing the crow's feet around Wes's young eyes.  

            "You could say that is an understatement.  I wonder where she would be heading."  Wes said with worry.  

            "I think she is going back to where she found her shell."  Little Lil said as the blood in Wes's face drained.  

            "Oh, no..."  Wes said with dread realizing where she was going.  But in actuality Illyria was going in a completely different direction.

TBC

Next Part 3, Illyria and Spike with a Vengeance


	3. Part 3,

Angel is owned by Joss and WB, FarScape is owned by Network 9 and Sci-Fi Channel, and I apologize for the potty jokes in the story. 

Part 3, 

Illyria had been seen going down the various hall ways of Wolfram and Hart for the past few weeks, but how she was walking caused quite a stir, she as hunting someone and they did not want to be her prey due to her having one of her twin blades out. Unfortunately, for Eve she wound up being in the wrong place at the wrong time as Illyria tapped her on the shoulder and spoke in the language of the Old Ones. 

"Where is the white haired half-breed called Spike created spawn of the Wolf Ram and Hart? " Illyria said as Eve turned white as a sheet as a small trail urine started to go down her leg followed a something in the brown chunky variety. To everyone else nearby they were ducking for cover fearing that there was going to be a blood bath starting with the former Liaison of the Senior Partners. 

"I said where is the White haired one called Spike? If you don't tell me now, I will make and example of you here before the others so that the Half-breed called Angel will know that I mean business. I have eaten the former constructs of the Wolf, Ram and Hart when they have gotten in my way for crossing my path. " Illyria said as she was getting into Eve's terrified face, then she smelled the most audacious order she could smell. Some poorly humans had urinated and defecated on themselves in fear. It took a moment for her to realize that she and Eve were the only ones in the arboretum then Illyria looked down to see the puddle at Eve's feet. The gulp she heard coming from Eve was so loud that you could have heard it from one end of the Hole in the Earth to the other then the look of disgust formed on her face and she decided to take a different course of action. 

"You can't understand me... can you? " Illyria said as she studied the features on Eve's terrified face. 

"Have you seen the one named Spike and where is he?" Illyria said in a polite tone as Eve had her entire life as an Immortal and as a human flash between her eyes. 

"If you are going to kill me you better do it, I have disobeyed the Senior partners and I have been made into a small human all because I fell in love. So I am scared of dying. So by the Gods I beg you don't kill me." Eve begged before the former Demon-Goddess. 

"I will not kill you child of the Wolf, Ram and Hart. They have done worse to you than I ever could with a stroke of my sword." Illyria said as she returned to original line of questioning. "Where is the one called Spike?" She said in full modern English. "Tell me now or I will gut you where you stand!"

"He's in Angel's OFFICE..." Eve said in fear. 

"Good I will go there now." Illyria calmly said as she turn and left leaving the former Immortal standing in a pool of her own waste. 

"I see that old Lerry has left another victim on her path." Lorne said as he came up beside Eve who turned towards the Pylean Demon and noticed the huge knot forming on his head by one of his horns. 

"Yeah... What did you do to piss off miss Apocalypse in a petite size three?" Eve said looking at her and Lorne's current appearance. 

"I was trailing her, but she caught on and I dove into the women's bathroom to take cover. That was when I ran into a certain blond Vampire Secretary with a mean right hook." Lorne said looking at the puddle Eve was standing in. 

"What did you do to get the Smurf of Quartoth so angry at you?" 

"I don't know what those two first things she said were, but I think she wanted to know where Spike was at." Eve said as she distastefully moved out of the puddle she had made. 

"What did she say to you before she noticed you had left that puddle?" Lorne said worried that whatever Illyria had said in her native tongue would be the key of why she wanted Spike. 

"I don't know. If I was still in the good graces of the Senior partners I would have understood her. But what ever she wants with Spike she has proven that she is still pissed at Wolfram and Hart for whatever they did to her." Eve said as she turned to see the Demon-Goddess disappear. Meanwhile Spike was heading out of Angel's office to take a seat in Wolfram and Hart boardroom to read his most recent copy of Soap Opera Weekly. 

Illyria stood at the doorway just studying Spike. There was a feeling that he was a Warrior. Though she could fight circles around him there was a feeling that he was just as ruthless as she was. But in a memory that Fred had of him that he seemed to be of the caring type that you would have to warm up to tell your story and he would tell his. 

"Spike..." the Demon-goddess said as she entered the room cautiously wondering what to do with her next words. "Mind that I sit and listen to you tell of your origins?" Spike who was reading his magazine didn't even notice her. That was when Illyria slid one of her blades across the table towards him. At that time Spike looked up to see Illyria standing there. 

"Well isn't it the filthy harlot." Spike said with distaste. "Well I see that you are up and around. I see that your brooding is over blue girl. So are you ready for another bout with me or are you wanting to kill me." Spike said as he looked at the blade that Illyria had slid across the desk and picked it up. "Or do you want me to kill you with your own blade, all you have to do is say yes." Spike said as he checked the weight of Illyria's weapon. "This has a nice feel and balance to it." Spike said as he felt how the blade flowed in his hand. 

"Spike..." Illyria said as she moved over the chair the Billy Idol Vampire was sitting in towering over him in a loose attempt to give the feeling of dominance. "... I must go on a journey to discover who I am." Illyria said as Spike looked at her form and took notice of how tight her Magical Crimson red bodysuit highlighted her figure, especially showing off her hips and the small amount of cleavage Fred had on her body. 

"Well go then, you Harlot. Get out of everyone's life. It would be better for everyone else." Spike said shooing her away with one of his black nail painted hands. 

"Spike... You may be a half-breed but the one called Fred considered you a friend." Illyria said as the tone of her voice changed from cold calculation to need and fear. "I must understand her, she said..." with the raising of her hand Illyria let the blue spark she used to call up Fred vocal memories and said "You Owe Me Spike." Spike took a cold hard look at Illyria held the blade he had of her's in his hand and placed it by her throat. 

"You may have killed Fred but you cannot call in any of her favors that I owe her." Spike said in disgust. 

"Even if it brings a part of her back?" Illyria said placing her offer on the table. 

"You said yourself, she is gone. You ate everything inside of her, heart, lungs, blood, and her brain. Hell even her Freaken' soul." Spike said getting out of his chair and moved to tower over her. "What else of her didn't you eat from the inside out?" Illyria summoned another blade and brought it forth and rested it against the one Spike had and pushed it away. 

"I didn't eat her memories, who she was. In you I sense are from a kind with out a soul, but you do possess one like the Half-Breed called Angel." Illyria said as she walked over to the Necro-tempered glass window and petted one of the plants with her hand waiting for it to thank her for cleaning the dust off of it. But no response came. 

"Those memories haunt me, they come at me when I am alone." Illyria said, "They are like a curse on me, they intrude me thoughts, they make me think things that are not myself." Illyria was close to what Spike thought was a full blown panic attack. With that Illyria fell down on the ground in front of Spike, and she was hyperventilating like mad. Her arms were wrapped around her body as if she was trying to keep herself from being torn apart from the inside. 

"Whoa there," Spike said as he knelt down by Illyria. "What's happening to you?" Spike said not knowing if Illyria was going to go Chernobyl or have a full China syndrome occur. He didn't know which was worse, the big boom or hotter than hellfire slim eating itself to the core of the earth. 

"Memories, they are flying at me faster now. A party with a cake with her name on it and the number five, a sheet of paper in a blue book with her sorcery being written on it. Tacos with the sauce that give off the heated fire in human excrement. Her in a cave writing on a wall. Her being put on a chopping block to be eaten for an evening meal. Her eating Food out of a white box with the green one with sticks." Then Illyria howled out in pain as some memory struck at her hard as if she was reliving all of Fred's memories all at once. 

"The Shell is taking me over..." Illyria said as she grabbed hold of Spikes leather Jacket. "Must get to the Hyperion... The Shell is demanding me to go to the Hyperion." Spike realized that he was out of his element here. If Fred was here then he might have been able to go to her for help but this thing had killed Fred and whatever she was Experiencing was Fred With a Vengeance and uncut as she continued to rant the various memories and experiences Fred had gone through in her life. 

"Hyperion..." Illyria cried out as her eyes showed the fear that only Spike had seen in the eyes of his victims as he feasted upon them in days gone by. "Spike...." the voice said but Spike didn't know if it was Illyria or some part of Fred that decided to tear its way to the surface. Around that time the full Wolfram and Hart's Tactical Black team showed up with weapons raised and cocked back to the ready. That was when some part of Illyria started to sing something, 

"Silent Night. Holy Night. All is well...." Lorne who had entered the room along with Angel heard the words and was blown backwards through the boardroom doors. Angel rushed over to the Pylean Demon and picked him off of the floor. 

"What was that?" Angel demanded. Lorne turned to look over at the curled up Demon-Goddess on the floor with Spike before he turned to Angel. 

"I think that was Fred. Or at least what is left of her, fighting to get out and change Illyria." Lorne said as the Demon-Goddess passed out holding on to Spike's jacket. 

"What do you mean what is left of her? What is happening to Illyria?" Angel said as Illyria started to shake violently then she stopped and her eyes opened. 

"The Spirit of the Shell is merging with me..." Illyria said in her native language as Angel moved over to the Demon-goddess as saw real fear in her eyes that was when Wesley came into the room with Harriet and Little Illyria. 

"What happened in here?" Wesley said seeing Illyria in Spike's arms. 

"I don't know one moment, Illyria comes in here and asks me to tell of my origins, the little skank. Then she argues with me about how much of Fred is left in her. After that she has the mother of all possessions slash visions dumps. And I have seen old Dru have a vision or two but this one was a dozy." Spike said as the girl that had come in with them moved over to Illyria and touched the Demon-Goddess's hand and spoke something in a Demon dialect he had never heard of. 

"Illyria, you are going to be alright. This is something that has to happen for you to learn. " The child said as Illyria turned to the child and spoke in her own tongue. 

"What was that?" Illyria said concerned that what she had experienced was the product of this child's power. 

"Something the beings in my dream call the Smoothie effect. " The girl said in the language of the Old Ones. Spike and Angel were watching this scene with curiosity and worry. 

"How do you know her language?" Angel said moving over to the young child. 

"Um, its a gift I have. I don't know how it is I just know languages and words just jump into my head. I mean I can order Chinese in Chinese and hear and understand the folks on channel forty-two." With that she moved over the large sixteen by nine flat screen TV and turned it on and put it on channel 42. Which to everyone's surprised turned out to be the local Telemundo station and started to translate in real time what was being said on the screen. 

"Bloody hell. The little bobbit has Translator Microbes in her head." Spike said remembering his experience with Andrew during the entire Sorority Slayer fest that Buffy had in her house. 

"What?" Angel said as everyone in the room looked at him. 

"Translator Microbes. A little plot device that Andrew Introduced me to during the times that the guys were able to get some TV time in when the girls went to bed. Me and Xander and him would watch the late night FarScape Episodes on Sci-Fi just so we could do some guy stuff. " Spike said as everyone in the room wanted to get back on the subject. "What, can a man of action spend some time with some of the geek squad and not look like an idiot." 

"And I thought I knew everything about him." Angel said as he looked at the curled up Illyria in his arms. "Spike take Illyria to the medical ward and have her checked out." Angel said switching to full professional battle mode. "Wes, I want you to dig up everything you can about human demon mergings like this." Then Angel turned to see Harriett standing by him. 

"Angel." Harriet said as she looked at her late ex-husband friend in the face. 

"Harry. Long time, so what have you been up to?" The dark haired ensouled vampire said. 

"Well been living life, taking care of my daughter and doing research on demon culture." Harriet said as she watched Spike carry Illyria in his arms out of the office. "So what have you been up to since Doyle's funeral?" Harriet said as Angel shifted around some unsure how to proceed. 

"Its a long story. Got a few hours." Angel said as he moved Harriet over to the conference table and started to fill her in on his life and that of his friends and co-workers. Five years of catching up definitely took time. Elsewhere The Powers that be were setting their agenda into motion. 

Click the blue button below and review. 

Sorry about taking so long to update… I'm kinda of working on three stories back to back during my free time. Oh, and Illyria isn't my only Smurf of doom I'm working on. Try dealing with teenaged girl with a hive mind going through puberty going after boys. (ahhh….) Don't ask what images that just came up about the guy she is after. 

TBC 


	4. Part 4,

Part 4,

Spike looked over the weakened Illyria in the medical ward and with the mystics and doctors standing around her working like mad to figure out what was wrong with the former Demon-Goddess. But the way the Demon-Goddess looked as she breathed made him think about Buffy the Slayer. Between Spike in a mood of wanting to finally put an end to his nightmarish erotic dreams of the blond Slayer, he had taken a sawed off shotgun and marched over to the Slayer's house ready to open fire. But he had found her on the steps crying, in a complete state of emotional breakdown. He moved over to where she was sitting on her back steps and sat down next to her and comforted her as he gave her a shoulder to cry on. He hadn't known how long he sat with her, but learning that her mom was suffering from a brain tumor and no matter how much she fought, what physical demon she could slay.

There were just some monsters that the Slayer couldn't beat, pound, crush, decapitate, or impale. These were the monsters that existed in your own soul. Spike couldn't imagine what Illyria was going through. Experiencing the sum events of the person who you have slain, over and over again, made old Stiffy pants ensouling curse look like bottled water to ninety proof vodka; and Old Illyria here was bearing the grunt of it. There were times where Illyria started to sound like Fred her mannerisms, fear and her joy.

How much had he wanted to think her for making corporeal again, but being her friend had become his reward during all those sleepless nights she had spend in her lab. The Same Lab that her co-worker Knox had poisoned her with the sarcophagus containing the Demon-Goddess's essence. But he wished that he and Angel had been able to save her from this monstrosity. Now he had to deal with a creature that had curled up into Fred's skin. Now seeing the Demon-Goddess experience Fred in THX, Super Dolby 4:1 surround sound, Hi-Def 4D sensory smell-o-vision. That was when one of Fred's memories worked its way up to the surface.

"Wesley... don't leave me." Te Fred Shell said as she took up a fetal position. "I must get through this. I lived in a world where my kind were butchered like cattle."

"Wesley..." Then Illyria shot up to look at her hand.

"This will do..." Illyria said as she looked at he hand.

"That wasn't a memory of my shell, that was me. Then if it is her memory then how much of me is her and how much of her is me?" Illyria said as she tuned to see Spike.

"Fred." Spike said to the girl with the blue hair.

"Am I Dead or something else?" Illyria said as she brought her legs in front of her and wrapped her arms under her knees.

"Are you Fred or are you Illyria?" Spike said as the blue girl looked at him.

"I don't know. I don't know." The blue girl said as she moved between reptilian actions to those of more human. "What's happening to me?" The question would reveal itself in time.

On the other side of Wolfram and Hart, Wesley Windom-Pryce was consulting with several mystics and Psychics including Lorne.

"Well here is the down low of what I got from Illyria's mind." Lorne said as he pulled out a sketchpad on which he had drawn several images on. "Old Fredkin's has decided to strike back with a vengeance, but another set of images that kept showing themselves in my mind. One is of Cordy and the other is of a guy that I have not seen before." With that he pulled out another picture of a man in his late twenties or early thirties with dark hair.

"Well whomever it is seems to have targeted Illyria for something." Wesley said as he looked at the picture. "What ever it is it seems that Illyria's powers or lack of them have made her the perfect weapon for them to use."

"Yes," said Shesheba and Indian mystic who Wolfram and Hart had hired as one of their Psychic bloodhounds. "Illyria was a Demon General of ancient times, so someone wants to use her powers for some deed." She said with a deep Queen's English British accent.

"Yeah well considering that the number of suspects in the local area that might have the Mojo to pull this off is very limited." Lorne said as he looked through a file he had gotten his hand on.

"Yes. Illyria seems to be a formable opponent so I believe that checking with Angel about who would know about Illyria's current state." Wesley said as he started to deduct through possible leads in front of him.

"Well considering that old Illyria is front page news around here, so the number of people that know about Illyria's current state is about Oh, three fourths of the building and those family members of the employees as well. So I would say that the cat is pretty much out of the bag." Lorne said with his usual Pylean Hollywood finesse.

"Well I would suggest that Spike keeps watch on Illyria but I would suggest that he have a weapon on him to at least give him an edge if who ever is after her decides to make a move." Wesley said then there was an alert that went off. That was when Gunn came running in to Wes's office in his street clothes.

"Illyria just up and disappeared right out the medical bay." Gunn said then Spike came walking in with some sort of electronic device in his hands.

"Yeah and the little Harlot is making a bee line for the Hyperion Hotel." Spike said as Angel came into the room.

"Spike I thought that you and technology didn't get along." Gunn said seeing the electronic gizmo in his hands.

"Yeah normally I would say yes, but when I was in ghost form Fred showed off his creation of her's. She said that it was designed to track anything if you got a sample of genetic material or a fragment of them." Spike said as the unit started beeping more and more. "The Irony is that we're now using to find her body."

"So how loopy do you think Illyria is going to be when we find her?" Gunn said as he pulled out an old Halbant Battle Ax as he moved out to the elevator with Angel.

"I don't know but considering that she is getting full uncut Fred downloaded into her head. I think that she will either kill us quickly or wait until she sees us in a position that she can strike then either try to have us to kill her." Angel said as he hit the button for them to go down to the garage level. "She might look like Fred, but remember this isn't Fred, so stay on your toes. Illyria might be more dangerous now than she was when she had all of her powers."

Across town Illyria had entered the old Lobby of the Hyperion Hotel and was touching the various surfaces and reliving memories of Fred's life. The main counter held so many memories of Fred's life. All the books and Chinese food that Fred had eaten on this spot came flooding back to her. The circular bench that Fred had rested her head on deep in thought then she moved into Angel's old office. How long had it been since Angel or any one been in here? Then Illyria saw her reflection in the office mirror. The blue hair and the reptilian scales that ran from her hair and down the sides of her neck. The cobalt blue eyes that were once green. Then Illyria looked at her eyes and form.

"Winifred Burkle what are you doing to me. Is this my curse for taking your shell as my own?" Illyria cursed at the image in the mirror, and then as Illyria moved towards it her face took on the appearance of its former owner.

"Yes and No. The choice is up to you on how you proceed with our life. A Penitence must be paid for your actions but those who will choose that penitence are much older than you." The reflection said as Illyria started to touch her skin as it took on the feel of warm human flesh. "If you are to be in my skin, then learn what it is to be me for a day or two."

Illyria turned to see her form changing as most of the body suit Illyria was wearing started to modify its appearance. Most of her red chest garment remained the same leather material she had worn, but her skin had lost its blue hue and replaced with the warm soft pink of human flesh tones. Her leg garments changed to the feel of the human material called Denim and her battle boots changed to the foot garments called sneakers. Illyria looked at her new form and saw much of her identity being changed.

"I will not change whomever you are. I have fought enemies that spit acid and devour souls as their meal. I was one of these creatures. I was a God to a God." Illyria demanded to the unknown force changing her.

"You will change so that you can learn about the Enemy that you will be facing in the future the battle of your existence will make you learn about your past as well as the destiny of the ones called Angel and Spike. If you wish to die, then so be it but the name of Illyria will not be known to the world ever again and you will join the dust of your people." the unseen voice said as Illyria wrenched over in pain as her insides were feeling like they were being torn asunder. "You will experience a taste of what you did to Winifred Burkle." It took only moments for Illyria to realize that she wanted to live and screamed in pain to bring forth all her might to stay standing; she would not kneel to anyone not even to death itself.

"Wait, What do you wish me to do?" Illyria said as the pain subsided.

"Go to Winifred's room and look around it. You will find an item there that will guide you on your path." With that the voice faded.

"What do you wish me to find?" Illyria's voice cried out then she was left alone in the hotel's lobby. Then Illyria accessed Fred's memory of the floor plan of the hotel and made her way through the hallways to room 222. Illyria made her way there she smelled various items the dust clothes covered in the rooms. Even once she smelled the scent of the long vacated shell of a human coming from one of the rooms as she passed by. Then she arrived at Winfred's room and opened the door and walked in. She had not been in this room not too many times since she had taken this shell, but the room gave off the feel of a tomb and of a Maternity Ward. This was where Winifred Burkle had died and Illyria had been reborn. As Illyria looked through the room she found that there were several magical texts sitting on the shelves next to her physics and quantum mechanics' books. Then Illyria's looked around at the rest o the room at Fred's bed and saw on of the many bottles that Wesley had used to loose himself in mixed with cans of beer. Suddenly something in her snapped, and she grabbed the bottles and started tossing them into the sink and seeing a nearby six-pack, Illyria took each can into her and squeezed the stuffing out of them until they erupted like the brains of the squeezed honeycomb of the Danna Larva of the Rizt realm as they were born.

"I'm doing this for you Fred so Wesley can go on." Illyria said as she looked in the mirror and she regained some of her blueness.

"You heard me?" The reflection said back. Then Illyria moved out of the bathroom and headed to one of the shelves as she started to search through them in a methodical manner. Pulling the texts out the shelves and flipping through them then dropping them to the floor. That was when one of the books fell open to a page of a temple that Illyria had only heard about in rumors and myths in her own time. The Temple of the Oracles. That was when the voices started again.

"You just found what you are looking for Illyria." The voice said as Illyria was drawn to the text.

"This place, I have only heard stories about it. This is where the warriors and followers of the Powers go to so they can ask questions of the missions they have been sent upon." Illyria said, as she looked at the page then an individual sheet of paper with a spell written upon it.

"Go to the dead letter office down town and the spell will get you into it their temple but you will need the lighter." The voice said as Illyria saw an old lighter with the insignia of the Watcher's council sitting by a picture of Wesley, Gun, Lorne, Angel, Cordillia, and the shell's former owner. Illyria moved to pick it up and looked at the appearance of the people in the picture and noticed several weapons in their hands and the spatters of something green on their shirts.

This was a picture taken during a celebration after a battle. Each of them were still holding their weapons between a wooden club that had a sharpened point carved into the top of it, and the battle blades that several others had. The one called Fred was carrying a pair of small battle-axes in her hands in a style that was similar to Illyria's own fighting style. The question that started going through her head was if she had not taken the Shell, would have the shell become a warrior like herself? How much of Fred was in Illyria now and how much of Illyria was in Fred to begin with? If so was her predestine resurrection supposed to make her merge with this small being for some battle ahead, something where the skills of the other would aid in keeping the other one alive. That was when she heard a clicking of a firearm bolt and grabbed the book, the spell, lighter and the photograph and dove out the door as weapons fire started to cleave through the window and thus destroying most of the wall on her way out of apartment 222.

Illyria knew that in these corridors she was limited in the fighting space she had, so she need a place with more space and plenty of cover to use. The front lobby but more weapons fire cut off her direct route to where she was heading. Suddenly she had to shift directions and head for the kitchen and main dining area of the hotel. As she ran down the hallway thoughts were running into her mind. Something about running and fighting an unknown enemy with minimum or no resources other than the clothes on your back felt almost familiar. With a burst of speed Illyria creamed into the main dining room and jumped over a table with piles of human clothing on it and grabbed one of the sides of it and with her weight flipped the table onto its side thus creating a cover for her to hide behind. During the flip the lighter Illyria had gotten from Fred's room had fallen out of the bundle she was carrying without her knowledge.

Illyria knew that she only had moments to think but she was too limited in her movements in carrying these materials in her hands. If she had both hands available she would be able to fight unencumbered. Then she saw a yellow book bag lying on the floor with all the stuff she had knocked over. Then one of Fred's memories came flooding back to her. This was the room where the Demon being known as Jasmine had eaten several of her followers. And these garments that lay before Illyria were what were left of the mortal humans and demons she had feasted upon. The fear that was in Illyria brought forth another memory of how she was able to break the spell on the half-breed known as Angel and were able to start to create an underground to fight the false Messiah. Then another round of bullets came through the door as Illyria stuffed the items she had in her arm into the book bag and started running for the door at the other end of the large room. Then she saw two demons come through the door. Their human-esque garb looked like a uniform. The gray almost ridiculously stiff hyper masculine garb and black boots made them look like horse riders and not like soldiers but Fred's memories pointed to a point in human history where such garb were worn by the likes of mankind and nearly destroyed the world in the process in a systematic madness. Illyria knew now that she had to fight now with all her might, so using her speed and summoning a blade she proceeded to use her fighting skills unsure how much her strength had been diminished and took out one of the large full blooded demons with her blade before her legs creamed into the other demon's head and gave a blood curdling crack to her opponent's neck. Still spinning in the air sideways she landed on all fours and started to run into the main lobby that was when she saw two humans about to be preyed upon another group of demons. Illyria searched her memories and remembered that there was a weapons locker in the main lobby. Quickly she rushed towards it and pulled it open breaking the lock in the process. Seeing the myriad of weapons, Illyria quickly chose one that was close to her own blade as she remembered that it was probably with Spike still and not wanting to waste time she pulled out a Sai dagger. Its long stabbing blade and forked ends would serve to help her as she rushed to take out the other three demons between her and the door.

"Humans get down!!!" Illyria yelled as she ran along the surface of the wall about Angel's old office and leaped forward with the blades in front of her as she dove right into the chest of one of the demons whose head looked like the thorns of the plant called a Rose and face looked like the dung of earth beetle from long ago. The two demons who had their attention on the humans turned to her as she took her blades and sent them flying right into the base of their spines separating their brains from their bodies. As Illyria stood up to see the bodies still twitching she reached over to the two demons she had thrown her blades into and proceeded to separate their heads from their bodies. The two humans who stood before her were scared but relived that she had saved them. The human female whose curly red hair and almost circular face made her think of a feral animal or the human beast called a dog or its spawn called a puppy.

"Um, I believe that I have come at a bad time. Listen If you know where Wesley Windom-Pryce is, then I will leave you to... to..." The woman was looking at Illyria severing the heads of her attackers like it was a simple bit of common business that went down in this place. Illyria looked up as she got up off of the floor after she had finished severing the last of the flesh from the Demon's neck.

"How do you know the human sorcerer known as Wesley?" Illyria said using the best tack she had to the two beings before her. The red head just studied Illyria like she was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Well me and Wesley used to date for awhile after he saved me from being turned into a human sacrifice. That and he impersonated Angel when his boss was on some urber secret mission." The red head said as her suitor or mate who was looking at Illyria like she was about to kill them without a second thought. That was when Red reached over to the man and nudged him and whispered something to him that Illyria over heard.

"Gerald. Be nice, she just saved our lives from those demon guys so I wouldn't piss her off. Wes probably knows her as a collogue. Hell he is a rogue demon hunter, so she might be one as well or some inter-dimensional warrior." Red said as Illyria turned to hear more steps coming their way.

"Yes. But I'm kind of new to this world that you grew up in Virginia. I mean you hung with sorcerers and mages and the sort. But come on she just decapitated three..." Gerald looked at the small puddle of green blood coming from the bodies of Illyria's attackers. "What ever those things are." He pointed out.

"I suggest that we leave now or our attackers will come to claim us." Illyria said as she grabbed the two humans by the shoulder and started to shove them out the door.

"How you know?" Virginia the red head said as Illyria's firm grip started to leave a bruise. Then the room exploded with more demons coming in.

"I heard them getting ready." With that Illyria and the couple stared running to the parking lot. It wasn't until Virginia of the red guided them to her silver chariot called an Audi and opened the doors and let them in that Illyria stated their next course of action and ushered the conveyance out of the parking lot.

"I need to journey to the place called the Dead Letter office." Illyria said as she watched the people pass on the streets ignorant about the true evils or the world. "I need to take care of something." Illyria said as she felt the sun touch her face.

"Listen this is one heck of a time to go and pick up your mail." Gerald said from the back seat.

"I am not going there to pick up a mate. I am going there to visit with the Powers that Be." Illyria said as she turned towards Gerald and letting him see her full non-human features before returning to her seat.

"So you are some mystic warrior on some sort of quest and you were seeking out Wesley to help you out on it?" Virginia said as she looked over and rubbed the side of Illyria's neck and Illyria turned and started to cry. Virginia was taken back by this and wondered what was wrong with this woman with the blue scales on her skin.

"Sorry, am I doing something wrong?" Virginia said as she took her hand away from the side of Illyria's neck.

"Nothing, I just am stuck in thought about my people being gone." Illyria said as she tried to get back her warrior pride.

"So rubbing your neck the way I did reminded you of home?" Virginia said seeing the blue skin warrior nod up and down in agreement.

"My mother used to do the same thing to me when I was young. To let me know that the world was going to be well." Illyria said as more tears started to fall from her eyes. "That was before the dark times came and the destroyers came and slaughtered my people and entombed the others alive while others were just made and essence of themselves, like I was before being put into the Hole in the World." Illyria said trying to come to terms of what had happened to her.

"So you are going to these Powers of Whatever to see if there are any more of you out there?" Gerald said seeing the warrior's armor start to crack as Illyria turned to his direction. "Yes and No. I want to know what I am here for. I have nothing; my body has been placed into a shell that can barely hold my form. My powers have been stripped. And everywhere I look I have been hated and feared for no other reason than just being. I exist in a world where even the mightiest of beings are mere paupers to their desires and I feel so cramped in this shell." Virginia looked over and noticed that this was just a scared girl or child placed into a world she didn't understand.

"Do you want me to roll down the window for you?" Virginia said as she hit the driver controls on her door to remotely roll the window down. The passing currents of air flew into the car and Illyria closed her eyes.

"This reminds me of the wind currents of the Azure Plains of the Mn'Selatrop realm during the summers. Thank you." Illryria said as much of her claustrophobia and tension was flushed from her body as she had a moment of peace not from Winifred Burkle whose own memories on the high plains of Texas sought solace in this one moment, but from Illyria herself of the common feelings she and her host's shell had both lived through. They were both survivors in the harshest of conditions and they would fight to have a moment of sanity in the crazy world they were now in. Across town the enemies and allies that Illyria would need in the near future were calculating their next actions of the events that went down at the Hyperion Hotel.

TBC

Next: Part 5, The Powers that Be, and the powers that be

Note: The realm that Illyria is speaking about is actually the reverse spelling of Portales, NM so if you are a Sci-Fi fan you know the significance of this place and the works of Jack Williamson.


	5. Part 5,

Part 5,

Charles Gunn was looking around the battle scene that used to be Angel Investigations old base of operations. Between the three decapitated demons on the floor before him and the bullet fire that had been heard from across the street. Illyria was quickly racking up a body count in her wake that and he had green blood sticking to the bottom of his Lugz designer boots. That was when Angel came walking in the hotel carrying a Necro-tempered glass fiber umbrella and looked at the damage as the Wolfram and Hart Tactical Black team stood around him.

"Illyria has definitely been here given the body count." Gunn said looking at the three heads mounted on the office counter. "Given how these are laid out it looks like Illyria got the jump of these..." Gunn looked down to look at the sleeve of one of the demons and noticed the red, white and black Nazi swastika on their uniforms. "... Demon Nazi goons. I thought I had seen every thing on the streets. But Demon Nazi's officially takes the cake." Around that time Spike came walking in and saw the uniforms.

"Well it looks like old Hitler decided to go the demon route after you broke up his Uber Vamp Army of the undead plans." Spike said as he slapped the side of his foot into the ribcage of the recently deceased demon.

"Yeah whatever Spike." Angel said as he looked at several of the heads as well as the uniforms. "Vash..." Angel called out to one of the tactical team. "I want you to run a full sweep of the building and report back what you find." With that Vash left and started to order his men to check out the floors of the building in a systematic manner.

"So I got the feeling that Spike here knows about these Nazi Demons." Gunn said as he looked down at the body.

"Well actually the demon is a Gargamel given the nose formation on the body and the spikes on the head." Wesley said examining the head. "But the human garb is definite change from their standard behavior they are more of a roving foot soldier, so who ever has sent them..."

"Wes, these guys work for a group called the Scourge. I fought them a few years back when I first came to LA." Angel said only taking a loose glance at the uniforms trying to fight back bad memories. "These are the folks that killed my friend Doyle." The words and looks on Angel's face were of pain and of anger.

"So, do you think they are after her to get to you?" Gunn said as he moved away from the bodies.

"No," Angel said taking up his "I am thinking and will do some ass womping after this stance" with his fists on his sides. "I believe that these guys thought Illyria was part human and part demon. And they just wanted to kill her for just being." Angel said as he remembered the M.O. of the Scourge.

"So they weren't specifically after her, but they mistook her for something else all together." Wesley said as he surveyed the damage.

"Sir we have found something." Vash's voice said over the radio and Angel reached into his pocket to take the radio out.

"What is it that you found?" Angel said into the radio.

"Well Sir, you better come up and take a look. I'm in room 222." Vash said as Angel, Wesley, and several other personnel started up the stairs. Gunn and Spike, who decided to stay down stairs and check out the trail of blood that was on the floor that was by the doors to the dining room. There they found two more bodies taken out Illyria style and a bullet shot up table on its side. Elsewhere in the hallway leading up to room 222 Angel and Wesley were looking at the spray of bullet holes in the wall. When they reached the room the noticed that despite much of the damage, Illyria had been looking for something in the bookshelf.

"Well I can tell that Illyria came back here for something, but what ever it was, it looks like she was interrupted before the bullets went flying. Wesley said as he surveyed several of the titles of the books as he lifted them off of the floor and started to place them back to see what texts were missing as Illyria had started a systematic search going left to right. It wasn't after that he placed the third book on up on the shelf that he noticed that there was a text missing.

"Angel come over here." Wesley called out as he looked at the vacant space left from the pile Illyria had let fall onto the floor. "There is a book missing." Wesley said as he measured the space and looked that the various titles that were on the shelf.

"So what is important about there being a book missing from Fred's shelf?" Angel said as he started to realize as he looked at the other titles on the shelf. They were all science and sorcery titles. "Oh."

"So I surmise that what ever force has taken control of Illyria wants her to do something." Wesley said as he looked around to see several other papers on the floor and Angel Bent down to pick them up. It took only a moment for him to recognize them.

"Yes. And Wes I think I know where she is going." Angel said as he looked at the number of pages he had then at the number he had written on the back of them and noticed that there was one missing.

"Where do you think Illyria is heading?" Wesley said as he surveyed the damage and saw Angel heading out of the room.

"To see the Oracles of the Powers that Be." Angel said as he walked out of the room with some serious determination in his step to prevent someone from using Illyria as some tactical nuke. Meanwhile across town Virginia Bryce was consoling Illyria as she was attempting to prepare herself on entering the temple of the Oracles.

"Illyria is this the place?" Virginia said as her red hair moved around her face as her dark pants and light shirt made her small face stand out.

"Yes, I think it is?" Illyria said as many of her Blue features had returned. "I feel something like a vortex in this place. Power... yet a sense of respect with it and old." Illyria said as she ran her hand against one of the arched walls.

"So how do you get in? Say Open Says Me, and poof you are there." Gerald said as he knocked on the wall with his fist.

"I believe that the book holds the answer." Illyria said as she pulled the text out of the book bag she had and sat down on the floor flipping through the pages until she got to where she saw the image of the temple of the Oracles and started reading. It took several tries for Illyria to start to understand the instructions of how to get in and she realized why she needed the lighter. Then Illyria stood up and took the scroll out and placed into her hand and started to search through the book bag for Wesley's lighter and found it gone.

"The lighter I need it. I need fire for the spell to take place." Illyria said in a panic as she shook out all the contents of the book bag onto the floor and started to pad at some of the articles that were still in the bag. Wallet of a girl long since devoured by Jasmine, a book on Wicca that had been torn in half, a pair of panties and an old mystic necklace. But no lighter. While Illyria was patting through all the contents frantically searching Gerald reached into his pocket and pulled out a matchbook and lit a match.

"Will this do?" Gerald said as he offered Illyria the still lit match. Illyria seeing the flame before her stood up and attempted to take the match but it went out.

"No. I have journeyed so far. Do the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart want to crush my will as well. I will not be heeded." Illyria said as she fell down in defeat.

"Listen. I'm sorry about the match going out but I have like sixteen left." Gerald said as he showed her the matchbook he had in his hand.

"Then not all is lost." Illyria said as she stood up again and looked at Gerald. "When I motion for you to produce the fire, I will need you to burn the scroll that I am going to read."

"Okay." Gerald said looking at Illyria like what ever he was about to do was very important for her.

"Gerald how come you have a match book in your pocket?" Virginia said looking at the matchbook. "I didn't know you smoked."

"Actually I don't smoke but I got the matchbook from the Cigar party that we went to about a month ago, and since I was in the Boy Scouts I know that sometimes that you have to be prepared for stuff so I kept the matchbook as a result of the "Just in case of emergency use this" thinking I grew up with. So I hope that Illyria meets these Oracle people she needs to speak with."

"I am ready to begin. I will need your fire sticks. Please produce the flame." With that Illyria started to read from the scroll she had.

"I come before the oracles for guidance and direction. I beseech access to the knowing ones. " With that she took the match from Gerald and set the parchment on fire and she was caught up in a blaze of light as at that moment Angel burst into the room and saw what Illyria was doing and lunged into the blast of light and landed with Illyria in a place that was not the Oracle's temple but someplace else all together.

"What is this place?" Angel said as he looked around at his surroundings and saw Illyria crying.

"My Temple... Why was I brought back here?" Illyria said as she looked around and saw Angel standing nearby. In a Rage she got up and started running towards him. "You did this!!! You brought me back here." Illyria said as she was about to take her fist and start to pummel Angel starting with his head her fist hit an invisible barrier that sent Illyria's punch flaying away.

"What magic is this?" Illyria said as she attempted another series of punches and kicks that only made her hit air. "I will crush you Half-breed for doing this to me." Illyria said as she moved backwards as she took up more of a battle stance as she attempted to summon one her blades. "What is this, I cannot summon my weapons?" Illyria started to move backwards in fear until she hit the wall of the temple. "You strip me of my powers. Of my strength. Of my ability to fight. You make me into the image of the shell I have taken. Kill me Half-breed." Illyria said as she sunk to the ground.

"Who are you calling a Half-Breed! I am a Half-breed, so I would suggest that you wee lady behave around here, the Powers are not too kind at their Oracles being discriminated against." A voice called out with an Irish brode to it. Angel and Illyria turned to see a figure wearing a silver tunic; his silver skin highlighted his presence. "Angel I see that you are still wearing dark colors. 'Dilia did want you to pick up some lighter color tones for your wardrobe." The Oracle said as Illyria looked in fear wishing that she had taken back her last statement.

"Um, do I know you?" Angel said as the figure started coming closer to him and the Male Oracles' garments started to morph into a dark well worn leather jacket Dark pants and well worn red shirt. It took a moment for Angel to start to think to where he knew this person from?

"Angel it has been a long time. Have you forgotten me?" The Oracle said as the figure started to take on some more forms as his face started to morph into that of a human, but Angel didn't not still recognize him. Illyria who was standing now was worried as the vents started to terrify her to her more. Then the Oracle's started to morph again in to the face of an old acquaintance.

"Doyle.... Is that really you?" Angel said seeing the face of his old friend who had died many years ago standing before him.

"Yes it is Angel." The old sidekick said as he saw his old friend and shook his hand. Illyria who was taken back by this started to move cautiously over to Doyle.

"So why are you doing here and why in the heck is this place looking like Illyria's old layer." Angel said saying a double question to his old friend.

"Well, do you know a demon known as Skip?" Doyle said in his old form before he reverted his face to what he looked like as an Oracle as a woman came into room.

"Yes I do, I heard from Cordilia that he had this thing for a movie called the _Matrix_. Something about him creating environments so that people could feel comfortable or uncomfortable for them." Angel said seeing the woman morphing from her silver Oracle to that of a busty blond woman with long hair, a blue t-shirt a silver sweat shirt and a long black skirt with red roses on it.

"Well he was the one who did the remodeling to this place after the last two oracles got murdered by Wolfram and Hart's hit demon." The blond said as she started studying Illyria's features.

"Sorry about the entire making you seeing your Temple again, but it was the only environment that we could create on such short notice." The blond said as she ran her finger under Illyria's eye. Illyria just looked at the Oracle and sensed a feeling that this was a being of respect and of compassion. Created with the power of the Earth itself, and the flora and fauna were part of this entity making Illyria feel like she was among an equal for the first time during her reawakening.

"Why did you bring me back here?" Illyria said as the woman guided her by the hand in the direction of her grand hall.

"To help you learn about your past as well about your future." The blond said as Illyria started to shake in fear wondering who or what was going to happen next. "Doyle chat with Angel on what you two need to talk about. I'll take Illyria on a journey of what she needs to learn. " With that the blond left with Illyria and Angel was left with Doyle.

"Angel so how are the things going after you got 'Dilia's visions? Planning to take out the Black Torn in your usually leave no prisoner's style." Doyle said to his old casual style and pulled out a bottle of scotch. "Want a slug as the girls do their bonding thing."

"Yes to the talking, but no the drink." Angel said as Doyle led him into another construct that of the Old Angel Inc offices from five years ago. Else where Illyria and the female Oracle were sitting around a table in a place full of magical items and there were number sitting on the shelves stating what the item was and the word "for each one or by the pound." Occasionally there was the world "Sale" by them.

"What is this place?" Illyria said as she moved around the items.

"Well before I became an Oracle I was a Wicca who lived with the Scoobies of Sunnydale." The Oracle said as she pulled a chair out and motioned for Illyria to sit down.

"Oracle why did you bring me here?" Illyria said as she sat in the chair of the round table as the Oracle took up and sat down at the other end.

"Well, I feel comfortable here and my name is Tara." The Oracle said as she sat down in her chair. "See Illyria the main reason that you came here is so that you can learn your destiny. Illyria you are the last of the Old One's but you are going to be one of the First Ones." Tara said as she looked at the former Demon-Goddess's face.

"What do you mean?" Illyria said as she looked at her hands. The blue skin pattern on the back of her hand, taking note of all the human elements, but not her species native body pattern that was there.

"Well Illyria you and your "shell" as you call it were not supposed to be two separate things one living inside of the other. You were supposed to be merged into one entity." Tara said as Illyria started to go deep into thought.

"Me and the one called Winifred were supposed to be one entity?" Illyria said as the information started to sink in.

"Yes... The part that was you, the warrior spirit, your memories your experience and consciousness were to be merged and mixed with Fred's soul; thus making you into and her into one entity for the battle ahead." Tara said as she got up and moved over to Illyria and put her hand on her shoulder. "I can explain it better if you came with me." This was when Tara motioned for Illyria to get up and come with her. Illyria was scared but understood that the only way for her figure out about the enemy she was to fight ahead. So she followed Tara though a door in the back of the store and moved through a back door and wound up in a kitchen of a human's house.

"I hope that you are use to this, I'm still trying to get used to this ability to reshape environments?" Tara said as she opened the box of cold and pulled several items of fruit and a container of something in a circular container along with a tray of ice. "You see if you take each of these items and put them into a container, lets say this container is Fred and some of what I am going to put in first can also be called Fred, some of the contents of it being Fred such as the strawberries and the milk are the base form which we shall start working with. Then with the Fred and I add in the Ice cubes and the yogurt and some blue berries to the mix; which I will call Illyria." Illyria moved over to Tara with the look of distaste on her face. "Sorry about that, but this is a kind of visual aide but you are getting the point. See Fred was there to start with you are just the added ingredients to the mix. Now if I just let it stay there it wouldn't become anything. The elements are there but they are just touching each other and not interacting. They are becoming stagnate and not moving." Tara said as Illyria bent over and studied the contents in the blender.

"Now, during your transformation process, did a ton of hacking up of Fred and yourself to get into your shell." With that Tara hit the pulse button on the blender for a second and the contents jumped up and got mashed up but not completely integrated into the mix. Large chunks of Ice, yogurt, blueberries and strawberries just floated around in the milk occasionally being seen on the outside and on the surface of the mix. Illyria was just wondering where the Oracle called Tara was going with this. "Now in your current state you are like this, mix not all one thing or another, but the integration is mixing and causing large fragments of the Fred and the Illyria, You and your shell to interact in ways that are not completely whole. Thus there is chaos and confusion on what you are to be." Tara said as Illyria glanced up at her in worry. "Now the process of your merging was supposed to go like this without any interruption." That was when Tara hit the button the blender that was labeled Liquefy and the contents of the mix slowly shifted into a red purplely mix of ice, mashed fruit and floating fluid. "Now this is the form you are supposed to be, not Illyria nor Fred but a mix of the two. One entity sharing the elements of both thus making you into a single powerful being." Tara said as Illyria looked at the swirling mass in the blender.

"I am not supposed to be me? Nor am I supposed to be her. I am to be both?" Illyria said in confusion. "I came here for answers, not for riddles and food." Illyria started to move away in disgust.

"Illyria. You are in the merging process of who you were, who you are, and who you will be." Tara said, as she moved away from the blender and touched Illyria's face with her hand and stroking the blue lines on the beings face. "This will not be an easy journey for you, nothing worth having or fighting for is easy. Your people are gone but you feel compelled to stay." Tara said as Illyria nodded in agreement. "Well the merging will help you cope and change you into something that the old Illyria would be proud to be. A being to be a worthy adversary to any opponent. A warrior whom generations will speak of in respect and honor. Your descendants will be seen as beings that are respected with honor no matter where they go." Tara said as Illyria started to understand some of what was being said by Tara.

"Illyria, your feelings of loss, curiosity and anger are just steps for you on a longer journey. But it is the journey not the destination that will be important to you. There are guides you will meet that will help you and you have met the first few. Now you have much to understand that your old enemy the Wolf, Ram and Hart; Which I think sounds like a really bad music group you cannot stop but you can let them know that you can hurt them. Angel will help you do this; he has his own reasons but they will be made clear to you in time. The darkest hour will lead you to learn of your jailer and he will put you on your path to being one of the few chosen warriors. The shell will give you an opportunity to explore who you will need to become as you attempt to prevent an unbearable wave of sorrow from attacking those close to it." Tara said as she poured the contents of the blender into two glasses and handed one to Illyria.

"Here drink this, it will make some of the images and concepts of what is happening to you clear. Also it should make you right as rain as you head out of the door." With that Illyria started to sip the mix and realized it was familiar yet strange to her as she slowly took it in. Tara who was drinking her own mix noticed that Illyria was getting a smoothie mustache on her face and taking her thumb licked it and brushed the purple foam from Illyria's upper lip.

"Okay, you look better now." Tara said as she waved a hand and Illyria's garments started to change back into her red leather body suit. Illyria looked down at her own form and wondered why she had been changed back. "Illyria there will be a point where you will feel that you will need to walk in your own skin, but you will realize that your shell and you have become each other's skin. So don't freak when it happens. Though you will find that the body you will have is something that you will be proud to call a home for your essence, your soul and your being. But it will take a shower and a mirror for this to sink in." Tara said as Illyria wondered what she meant by this. "You will lose some of those who were close to Fred and they will give you the spark to become something more than the God to a God."

"Another riddle for me to solve." Illyria said as she left for the main chamber followed by Tara as she shifted into her silver skin and silver toga.

"Yes and no. Just some common sense you will need Illyria." Tara said as they moved through the door and into the grand hallway of Illyria's old temple where in the chamber they both saw Angel and Doyle talking.

"Illyria has to go first for this to work, Angel." Doyle said as he shifted into his silver form.

"Illyria it is time for you to go. Things will reveal themselves in time. Oh and Stall Hamilton on the other side for a few moments, he might want to see this." Tara said as she opened the vortex and Illyria walked through and found that Wesley and several other personnel of Wolfram and Hart's security detail were all pointing weapons at her.

"Illyria please do not any sudden moves and come with us." Wesley said as Illyria turned to see Gerald and Virginia being shielded behind several large men with guns. "Where is Angel?"

"Wesley the Oracles sent me out first. Where is the one called Hamilton?" Illyria said following the orders that she had been given. Then a monster of a figure of a man came up before here out of nowhere.

"Oh, crap... Here comes big gruesome. Hamilton himself" Gunn said as Hamilton's large form came into play.

"You are the one called Hamilton?" Illyria said as she studied this figure before her. He smelled like a creation of the Wolf, Ram and Hart.

"Yes, I am Hamilton." The monster of a man said before her. "Why do you ask Illyria, want to challenge me, you will find that I am more than you think I am. I will not wet my pants like Eve did when you challenged her in the hallways of Wolfram and Hart." He said as Illyria just moved side-to-side studying him, knowing her real mission was just to delay and not to confront.

"So Angel has gone to the Powers that Be. I bet he is telling them what he thinks of us. Or you are just some diversion to..." Hamilton never got the chance to finish his sentence as Angel came flying backwards through the portal and slid to a stop after hitting the wall. Everyone including Hamilton stood looking at the scene as Angel stood on up and staggered some before having to lean on the wall. When Angel turned so that everyone could see his face they saw a black and blue bruise forming on his face from where he had been struck on the face by a mean upper right hook.

"Angel are you alright?" Wesley said moving over to his employer and friend for several years.

"No, I just got decked by one of the Oracles." Angel said staggering some before having been lean upon Wesley. "Man after Wolfram and Hart last paid their last visit here, they hired tougher Oracles to speak for them." Angel said turning to Illyria.

"Illyria did the Oracles speak to you in the same riddles as they did me, because whatever you did right and I did wrong, definitely got you on their good side and me on their seriously pissed off bad side." Angel said knowing that only him, Illyria and the Powers that Be knew what actually went down inside of the Oracle's temple.

"Well I see that I need to speak to the Senior Partners about this. I will leave you now." Hamilton said as he up and turned out of the room and headed back to Wolfram and Hart. Illyria moved over to Angel and looked at him.

"Did the Oracle offer you a drink?" Illyria said to Angel as she looked at the large four lined impact marks on his face.

"Yes they did but I refused the drink. Why did you ask?" Angel said questioning the former Demon-Goddess.

"I accepted mine and got a riddles about me and my shell and my future. What did you get from your session Half-breed Angel?" Illyria said inspecting his words to come.

"Riddles, Riddles. My life history, More Riddles and questions about my sex life with Nina." Angel said as he moved out the door with Illyria.

"That sounds the same to me. Except for your sex life with Nina the Moon Beast."

"Yeah I expected that." Angel said as they left the structure at dusk. Behind them Virginia and Gerald looked at Wesley.

"So how long have you know Illyria? And what is it with you and her?" Wesley said as he turned with the look of Oh, Crud. This was going to be one of those days I should have gone to the dentist and not to work.

TBC

Next:

Part 6, Parents and Mini-me's

Author Note, for those who know the _Smurfs_, their arch nemesis was a sorcerer named Gargamel. So naming the demons after the dude was in line with Illyria being called Smurf.


	6. Part 6,

Sorry about taking so long between posts. It has taking awhile to post due to my Dad cleaning up files on the computer and me needing to HotSync my PDA; where I keep my story on. I have been working my ass off to tweak the story for ya'll . So with the apologies out of the way, here is the next chapter of the story.

Enjoy.

* * *

Part 6, 

Illyria was wondering through the halls of Wolfram and Hart like a Specter. The Oracle Tara's words bit at her like an itch she couldn't scratch. She was loosing herself to the concept that she and Fred were becoming one being. How much of her was left from this transformation and how much was not left afterwards. As she ran her hands wistfully by the plants as she waited for them to speak back to her; but there was no response as she moved by the bamboo near the Lobby elevators. This was the twelfth patch of plants in the building as Illyria was getting scared about how much of her powers she had lost when Wesley saved her from exploding. Now it was sinking in, no song of the plants of their desires of the sun, the air, the wind, and the joy of water. That song had been a comfort for her since she had reawakened, the words, if there were such a thing for a plant hadn't changed since she first walked on this planet. Now it was gone. That was when she took notice of Wesley and the Demon Clown Lorne.

"I can no longer hear the song of the green." Illyria said as Lorne and Wesley were standing behind the glass panel that moved from some of the more private offices to the main arboretum area of the floor.

"You think that includes me?" Lorne said to Wesley whose several day old unshaven face showed that he was slowly coming to terms with Fred's death and Illyria baring the face of the woman he had loved as she attempted to find her place in this new Alien world.

"Her powers have been greatly reduced. She still has an unusual level of strength, but is no longer invulnerable or able to alter time." Wesley said watching Illyria's body language as she was still trying to sense the actions of the bamboo as she decided to let her presence known to her two observers that were talking about literally behind her back.

"You revel in my defeat." Illyria said in sadness and anger to her two gawkers.

"Is that how you view it-you've been defeated?" Wesley said attempting to give the once Ancient Demon-God a shoulder to lean on.

"My world gone. My power stripped. How would you define it?" Illyria said in pain, the look in her eyes said it all. She wanted something of her existence back. Something of her's to say: I am Illyria God-Ruler of the Primordium; fear me before I kill you.

"Uh, I don't know, how about... lucky we didn't kill you when you went

Nuclear?" Lorne said attempting to make a joke at Illyria's expense, which turned out a little worse than expected as Illyria entered into full Doom Smurf depression ranting mode.

"This fate is worse than death. Condemned to live out existence in a vessel incapable of sustaining my true glory. How am I to function with such limitation?" Illyria said attempting to look big among the other shrimp in the ocean.

"Well, ever tried a Sea Breeze?" Lorne said chuckling as he held up his glass of the orange fluid that Illyria knew was the slow human poison called Alcohol.

"You attempt amusement at the expense of your better." Illyria said attempting to put the Green demon in place with her presence.

"Illyria. Perhaps you should return to the lab." Wesley said to Illyria attempting to get her mind off of wandering around like a ghost and to becoming a resource that they could use in the future.

"I do not bend to your wishes." Illyria said with distaste towards Wesley's suggestion of where she should go in this layer of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart.

"I'm not asking you to. Merely suggesting that more tests might lead to knowledge of how to help you function." Wesley said to Illyria as he attempted to find a way to help her transition into the modern world and cope with her current state of being. Illyria just glared back at him in defiance before she headed up the in the direction of the stairs to Fred's old lab.

"I go because it suits me." Illyria said with the sound of thousands of really sour distasteful tones to her current condition in her voice.

"Whew. Ah, so too bad that whirly-jig thing didn't suck the sass out of her." Lorne said wondering if he should be carrying Wes's large particle cannon around with him, just in case Illyria decided to come and rip his kahonies off.

"She's overcompensating. Posturing." Wesley said examining the last few moments in his mind of Illyria's more recent actions. Illyria was attempting

"So she really wasn't gonna snap my stalk?" Lorne said partially worried and partially relived about what Wesley was saying about Illyria and her current state of mind.

"Her powers are weakened, but... she's still unpredictable. Perhaps more so until she learns to adjust." Wesley said to Lorne just realizing how Illyria had become more unpredictable and scared since her decrease in power. Behind them the lobby elevator dinged. "We have to be careful not to agitate her." That was when the elevator doors opened and Fred's parents walk off the elevator into the lobby. With Lorne facing the elevator he saw Fred's Parents and said the one word he wished he didn't say, but did anyway partially as a distraction and as a warning to Wesley.

"Burkles!"

"See? I told you they would remember us." Roger Burkle said as he moved towards Wesley and Lorne with his usual "Howdy old partner, long time no see" Texas bode.

"Guess we do make an impression." Trish Burkle said remembering the last time he had meet Fred's friends. Though strange looking there were decent people once you warmed up to. Folks that any proud Texan would call Friend in a heartbeat.

"Why are you here?" Wesley said gruffly attempting to hide why Fred's parents had shown up but quickly caught him self from telling Fred's parents in the first few seconds that she was dead. Wesley softened up his response and continued to speak with Mr. Burkle. "I mean, what-" Wesley said but was caught off by Roger Burkle.

"Hawaii." Roger said as Trish his wife moved over closer to him and giving him a hug.

"Been savin' up for years." Trish enthusiastically added with a wave of her hand to Wesley.

"Thought we'd take a layover and surprise Fred. Uh, know where we can find her?" Roger said to Wesley and Lorne putting them into an uncomfortable position. How do you state the following: Your daughter is dead, Killed by a demonic entity that has taken over her body and now is walking the halls of this office like a specter. This was going to make the Virginia Price talk look tame. Well they might as well be sitting down when he told this so he motioned to his office and said in a beat.

"Step into my office." With that Wesley pointed his arm in the direction of his archival arsenal of knowledge layer. Upstairs Illyria had stopped to take notice of the action below and started to study the interaction of Wesley and Lorne to the Shell's progenitors. Inside of her head an idea formed of how to learn more about the Shell's former occupant, if these beings learned of her actions to their progeny, they would do whatever in their power to destroy her. She had felt the grief from Wesley and the others. It tasted like rotting flesh and left a feeling of a void. A void she herself was facing, she thought about everything she had lost and what the shell had lost. Was this the event that the Oracles had told her about when she went to visit them? Even if a lie was a lie, it would spare the Shell's; no she had to stop thinking of the Shell by that title now. It had a name, Fred... Fred Burkle's family the sorrow of what had happened to their daughter. Maybe this was a way for her and Fred to merge into one entity. Now it was time to become Fred and do the things Fred would have done in this situation with her parents. She had all the memories, now it was a matter of changing her form to fit the needs for the circumstances.

Illyria moved down the stairs slowly changing her appearance staring with he simple things first such as her facial features and skin tone making them look more human, then taking matters slowly with a technique her people had developed as a measure of camouflage for their own protection and attack strategies; she transformed her battle garment into the clothing similar to the one the Shell had worn during her dying hours and Illyria's rebirth. That of a white blouse and black skirt with black dress shoes. By the time she got to Wesley's office all she had to do was access the shell's memories of how it spoke and the observation of these beings had begun. She only hoped that Wesley her guide would forgive her for her actions.

Inside of Wesley's office Wesley was sitting behind his desk when as she listened for the right moment to enter.

Meanwhile inside of Wesley's office Wesley was chewing over how to proceed hoping to lay this down at the right time, but given how they were admiring the interior of his office and commenting about it; it was getting harder and harder by the moment.

"Gotta say this is a step up from where you boys used to hang your hat." Roger Burkle said seeing the policed mahogany interior walls and bookcases of Wes's office.

"Ooh, a couple of steps." Trish said admiring the lush layout of the Wolfram and Hart offices that looked like something from the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. That was when Wesley got up and closed the sliding door to his office.

"Yes, we- " Wesley said but before he continued Roger Burkle headed him off at the pass.

"Uh, you know, we didn't wanna say anything, but we were a little worried about that old hotel." Roger Burkle said to Wesley commenting more about the improvement Angel Inc, had made to their accommodations since their first meeting several years ago.

"Seemed a little run-down." Trish said remembering the old Hyperion Hotel that Angel Inc. used as a base of operations for almost three years earlier.

"But Fred called it home, so we just kept our mouths shut." Roger said commenting on his daughter's headfirst stance in her life. Her late life.

"Girl reaches a certain age, she's earned the right to make her own decisions." Trish said going on about her proud progeny.

"Which with Fred was around 7, wasn't it?" Roger said laying out most of Fred's unique childhood as she let out a laugh to her husband. Wes was going through hell of how much harder was this going to be to say that their daughter was dead.

"Mr. and Mrs. Burkle-" Wesley said in an attempt to regain control of the situation before him.

"Please." Trish said to Wesley in her Texas drawl.

"Roger and Trish." Roger said to Wesley as he held his wife's hand.

"The way she goes on about y'all, well, it feels like we're practically family." Trish said to Wesley commenting about the many phone calls her daughter had made to her parents, some of which Wesley had heard about.

"So where is that prodigal daughter-out saving the world with that nice Angel fella?" Roger said looking around the office wondering where their prodigal daughter was at, after remembering hearing the remarkable tale of their daughter being swept up into a hell dimension. Liberating a colony of humans from Demon rule and returning to this dimension to fight the forces of evil along side of Angel, Wesley, Gunn and Cordilia.

"Roger, Trish. There's something you need to know." Wesley said as he took a deep breath hoping that his next few worlds were able to communicate across what had happen to Fred. The woman he loved. The woman whose last hours he had spent by her bedside in a vain attempt to help her fight off the evil that had taken over her body and was slowly killing her.

"Fred-" Wesley as about to start with the horror story of Fred's last moments stating that Roger and Trish's daughter was dead. But he never got the chance when the word came from behind Fred's parents that he in his heart wished he didn't hear or wished it was heard under better circumstances hadn't Fred had died.

"Mom?" Fred said and Trish and Roger turned to see their normal, perfectly healthy and very human daughter standing in the doorway of Wesley's office.

"Well! There she is now." Roger Burkle said to Wesley and to the entire room that his pride and joy daughter was standing before him.

"Dad! Oh, my God. What are y'all doing here?" Fred said as she ran to hug her parents with great glee as if she had never seen them in her life and wanted this moment to last forever. To be loved by those to you and never let them leave your heart as long as you lived.

"Sweetie." Roger said to his daughter realizing that she had gotten physically stronger since he had last seen her. Man the demon killing must had been doing a lot for her small frame. He was turning black and blue on his arms from the hug she was giving him.

"Sight for sore eyes." Trish said looking at her daughter seeing a little tang of blue along her hairline and the sides of her neck. It was probably something from a battle Fred and recently been through and was probably clearing up.

"Oh, you look great!" Roger said as Wesley stared incredulously at the scene before him. Only he knew the Truth that it was the Demon-god Illyria standing before them wearing their daughter's skin like a costume. Wesley knew that the only way for him to find out what Illyria was up to was to let this play out, but he had to have his guard up. Illyria was more dangerous now than she was when her powers were at full strength. With that he watched "Fred" give her parents the tour of her new work place occasionally pointing out several of the non-human species that roamed the halls of Wolfram and Hart.

That was when they reached Fred's science lab with "Fred" escorting her father by the arm and her mother right behind them with Wesley on his arm.

"I gotta tell ya. Everyone is so dang friendly. I can't get over it." Roger said to his daughter admiring the large office and work area she had. Between the eclectic group of people and creatures his daughter worked with blew his mind. That and how several of the folks including the secretary, who Wesley told him was a Vampire were very cheerful. That and several of the coworkers of the human variety almost threw themselves at their feet opening doors and given them a wide birth to work with. It was as if his daughter was royalty. A far cry from the small girl that grew up in a small Texas town.

"Well, they kinda have to be, daddy. I'm their boss. If they're mean to you, I'll just fire 'em." Fred said jokingly to her father.

"Have we not seen each other since I ran over that bug demon with the bus? How is that even possible?" Trish said remembering the last time they had come to Los Angeles right after Fred was rescued from Pylea and met all of Fred's unique friends. Between Angel the Vampire P.I., Lorne the Singing Empathic Demon, Cordilia the fashion conscious Seer slash actress, Gunn the streetwise Muscle demon fighter, and Wesley the English Gentleman and sorcerer.

"Things have been a bit hectic these last couple...years." Wesley said as he attempted to change the subject away from those times and towards the present. Whatever Illyria was up to it was as if she was exploring this side of Fred and her relation to her parents as part of somehow getting to know whom her shell was and learn of its weaknesses.

"Well, I want to hear absolutely everything, but most importantly, have you got a young lady in your life?" Trish said to Wesley in a non-so blunt attempt to say, "I want you marry my daughter and give me some Grandchildren."

"Mom!" Fred said in embarrassment to her mother wanting to keep her love and sex life private.

"What? I was just asking. Well, can I help it if there's a perfect gentleman hiding in plain sight of my single daughter?" Trish said as she patted Wesley on the giving the not so subtle hint of here is a man, Please marry him so that I can die happy.

"Dad, make her stop." Fred pleaded with her father some more to intercede.

"Knock it off, big mouth." Roger said jokingly to his wife.

"He keeps talking to me like that, I'm gonna keep you for myself." Trish said to Wesley very sexily to make her point across to her daughter.

"Uh, is this whole laboratory yours, honey?" Roger said looking around at the immense space that was Fred's laboratory, between the particle accelerator, the electron microscope and the SL-72 flat min-Cray computer in the corner of the office the place was certainly upscale by anyone's standards. For Fred this was a place that would put NASA's JPL labs to shame.

"Well, technically, it's the company's, but... yeah. I'm in charge of it. Wanna see my office?' Fred said as she ushered her folks into her upstairs office.

"That's it up there?" Roger said to his wife as he pointed to the windowed office at the top of the stairs. "Come on, baby." Roger said to his wife as they started to up the stairs.

"Well!" Trish said reluctantly as she joined her husband heading up the stairs. Behind them Wesley took this advantage of having Fred's parents out of the way to interrogate Illyria about her recent actions by grabbing Fred by the arm and whispering angrily towards her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Wesley's words showed his anger and how upset he was at seeing this masquerade going on.

"Visiting with my folks." Fred said as she attempted to down play Wesley's aggression towards her.

"Illyria-" Wesley said making his point made that he wanted this charade to end now.

"Your grief hangs off of you like rotted flesh. I couldn't tolerate it from them as well. I thought this would be more convenient." Illyria said in her own lower distant sounding voice from inside of Fred's form as if she could sympathize with having something familiar around, something that meant home inside of this strange world she was trapped in now.

"How's it possible?" Wesley said as he studied Illyria's form and appearance as Fred. It was flawless and that was the scary thing about it.

"It's a simple modulation of my form. I appear as I choose." Illyria said in a lower voice so that her Wesley's conversation couldn't be over heard as she cocked her head and looked closely at Wesley in curiosity. "Do you wish me to stop?" She asked as if wanting Wesley to give her to okay to drop the act but they were interrupted before he could say anything about it as Trish Burkle stepped out of the office to see Wesley and "Fred" staring each other down as if some argument had broken out between them that had gone unheard by her and her husband.

"Sweetie, you have got to do a better job decorating. This office is as bare as a bone." Trish said after seeing Fred's office bare of anything personal or connected to her. Heck there were none of Fred's scribbled equations on the walls she used to solve problems with. Her office looked like someone had packed it all up as if Fred had died. That was when she put her hands on her hips and decided to put a stop to the untold argument and fix things between the to youngins.

"Is everything OK?" Trish said putting the question towards them so that she could dig out what was up with those two.

"Everything's fine." Wesley said looking at her as if "Fred" had crossed some line that he didn't like. But there was something going on that a mother's intuition knew was up between those two but it would reveal itself in time.

"Absotively." Illyria said in her attempt to be chipper as Fred but not fully losing the non-human tone in her voice. That was when a voice that neither Wesley nor Illyria wanted to hear come through the door.

"Leery... You in here? It's Lil. Want to play?" A child's voice said as Wesley and Fred turned to see young Lil standing in the doorway of the lab. The young Human-Braken hybrid child was wearing scarlet coveralls, red sneakers and had the sides of her face painted in blue marker. In one of her hands and under one of her arms was a pair of swords made of paper towel rolls as the hilt and a piece of cardboard covered in aluminum foil for the blades. That was when Fred's mom saw the child.

"Hi there, Little one. Are you looking for someone?" Trish said looking at the child as she came down the stairs.

"Yes I am? I'm looking for my friend Lerry. Have you seen her?" The child said looking around the room then to Trish. Trish wondered what this Lerry looked like but she decided to let the child tell her.

"What does your friend Lerry look like? Is she big, small..." Trish said as Wesley and Fred were watching this scene unfold. The child looked like she was chewing over how to describe her friend.

"Well she is big, has blue hair and stripes on her head, wears red." The child said as she let out a sneeze and green porcupine spikes erupted from her face. "Sorry, Allergies." The girl said as she wiped her hand under her nose. "I wanted to show her the costume I made of her. She is alone. I want to cheer her up." The child said staring to get worried, as a grin on her face started to slowly fade.

"Oh, so she looks kinda of like you?" Trish said as Wesley moved over beside her.

"Lil, you should be with your mom." Wesley said leaning over the child.

"I know Mister Wesley, but I heard about what happened to Lerry and how shaken up she was." Lil said looking around.

"Um, Fred why don't you come over here, you might be able to help this little one." Trish said hoping that this child would flesh out why Fred and Wesley were so suddenly despondent to each other. When the girl saw Fred she tilted her head as if to examine Fred's features then she started to speak in a language Trish didn't understand but somehow Fred knew it.

"Lerry is that you? " The child said in the language of the Old Ones. Fred or the Fred guise Illyria was wearing to protect Fred's parents from the grief started to speak in the same language.

"Yes it is, please little one I am attempting to prevent the grief and pain that I brought to Wesley and his friends to happening to these people. " Illyria said in her best tones in Fred's voice.

"So they are part of the girl you are linked to now? " Lil said to the Illyria Fred.

"Yes." Fred said in a said voice. "Yes they are."

"Well as Parents go, they seem nice." Lil said switching back to English. "Do you like my costume, I did it to honor her?" Lil said spinning around to show off her garment. Fred just grinned and hugged the child.

"It looks nice, Lil. I would believe that Illyria would be pleased to see you in it." Fred said as Trish and Roger saw the interaction between her and this little child.

"You look nice as a human. " Lil said seeing through the guise and taking her finger and touching Fred's nose. "A little peach coloring to your face and you look cutie." Lil finished as she moved out of the lab. "Its nice to see that they replaced the glass after the accident that happened in here." Lil said as she moved towards the door.

"Accident." Roger said to his daughter, "There was an accident in here?" Fred had to come up with something quick.

"Yes there was an accident. One of my co-workers decided to raise a demon in here named Illyria, but it had gone all wrong. Wes had to kill him to prevent Illyria from causing harm to everyone in the city. And her powers had become unstable so between the tactical team that was in here and the smashing several beakers the place was quite a mess after her powers had to be diluted by the Neutron emitter Wesley had to use on her." Fred said trying to cover the true events of Illyria. "So they kinda of had to repaint and replace a lot of stuff from that mess."

"So that is why your office is so bare." Trish said with relief. "Well Sweetie I'll buy some stuff from the Longaberger catalog and have it sent here." Trish said looking around the office. "In no time we'll have you fixed up good as new darling."

"Well at least you weren't hurt." Roger said looking at his daughter.

"I was in here when it went down." Fred said to her parents. "Wes is a little concerned about me coming back here with you two so soon after it had happened."

"So the reason that Wesley is acting this way is that he is trying to protect you. Well Well..." Trish said looking at Wesley in a new light. "Fred has always had a strong will, so I would suggest that you let her do what she needs to do." Trish said scolding Wesley.

"I will try Mrs. Burkle." Wesley said attempting to grin his way through it. Well what is next on the tour?

"Well let's take Lil back to her mom before we finish the tour." Fred said as she moved over to Lil and took her by the hand.

"Illyria" Lil said to her older counterpart, "Which form do you like more? Being a human or being that of a Demon? " Lil said wondering about her heritage.

"I don't know? Being human does have some advantages, I feel like I am not alone. I feel like my shell and I are one. But when I am myself, I am alone. Is that part of the merging you had dreams about? " The Illyria Fred said in her voice in an attempt to answer the child's question as they headed out of the Laboratory research wing.

"No, I'm half Demon. I just wanted to know what it was like to be a full demon or a full human like my mom? " Lil said as she turned back to see Fred's mom looking behind them with curiosity.

"I don't know, it depends on who the dominate species is and what you feel safe being. But being true and learning who you are, are big steps to take in life Lil." Fred said in her own voice. "Listen after I finish the tour with the Folks, how about I tell you a story as we search for Illyria. I'll tell you about the Dark Knight, the Sorcerer and the Ballerina. Deal." Fred said seeing her mother grinning.

"You know Fred given how you are acting, I'm thinking you would make a great mother." Trish said as they headed off to Interspecies Resources and dropped Lil off at her mom's desk before heading off to the main lobby of Wolfram and Hart. "My, look at the time Roger if we don't leave now, we'll miss our flight." Trish said after she took a look at the clock on the wall by the elevators. With that Roger pushed the down button to call the elevator as Trish moved to stand beside him. They turned to face Wesley and Fred, realizing how fast the time flew as they visited with their daughter. As long as they knew their child was all right and doing what she loved with her life, then it was okay with them. Hopefully the next time they visited there would be Mrs. in front of their daughter's name.

"Sorry to just drop in on you like this unannounced." Trish said apologetically to her daughter for the unannounced arrival, but it felt good to see their child healthy and well.

"Are you kidding me? I'm just sad y'all can't stay longer." Illyria said as her Fred persona. How much more she could have learned about her joined being of who she was going to be transformed into. To have family, to feel safe, to be whole. These were the things that were taken from her long ago and now she realized what she had taken from Fred those things that made power and strength nothing. It was the sense of the heart and of hope. Two things that could not be killed only hurt and healed.

"Well, the beach is callin'." Roger said looking forward to his vacation in Hawaii with his wife and walking with her hand in hand on the beach.

"Wesley. You take care of our little Fred for us. OK?" Trish said hoping that Wesley would be her future son-in-law.

"Of course." Wesley said knowing that he had failed the Burkles in that regard, but he kept up his facade so that the tragedy wouldn't hit home till later or until he found a way to get Fred out of Illyria permanently.

"Ohhh. I miss you already, and we haven't even gone yet." Trish said as she hugged her daughter tight fearing that she was about to lose her again in some way. But it was the hug that Fred gave back, it was as if someone else was hugging her back unsure how to treat the situation of physical contact with another person. Maybe it was her age and the fact that Fred was growing up. That was when Trish sighed and looked her daughter in the face wanting to know it was really her daughter Fred or some illusion. "You sure you're OK? You seem different somehow." Before Trish could continue the thought Roger stepped in.

"Oh, she's just growin' up, mother. Let her go. You're gonna embarrass her in front of her employees." Roger said knowing that they had caught their daughter off guard when they had dropped in, but Fred was healthy and okay and doing well for herself. Now all they wanted was a wedding for their little one.

"Stop it, daddy, and come here. Give me a hug." Illyria said as Fred as she gave both of Fred's parents a hug. For once Illyria remembered her own mother and her siblings and knew how alone she was now in the world. She said something she wished she could have said to her mother before her death. "I love you guys so much." For a moment she was back in the nest curling next to her mother during the cold night of the first dark moon.

"Oh, we love you, too." Trish said feeling some of her daughter's wish for her to stay just a bit longer to reminisce on good times and bad. That was when Illyria had to let go, she wanted to let this image of reality to stay and no be broken just for a bit longer in this strange world.

"We'll talk soon. OK?" Roger said hoping to call his daughter when they got into their hotel room in Hawaii several hours from now.

"Countin' on it." Illyria said as Fred. Just a bit of time spent taking with these two made the loneliness fade away for a little while. That was when Wesley and "Fred" started to wave good-bye

Wesley and "Fred" wave as Fred's parents got into the elevator to go downstairs and on their trip. After the doors closed in front of the Burkles Wesley leaned over to Illyria and spoke in an angry tone.

"Did you get what you needed from that experience?"

"Yes. It was most informative." Illyria said in her own voice from behind the Burkle persona. The Oracles were correct; Illyria and Fred were mirror images of each other. Illyria was strength, power, knowledge, death and fury, while Fred was Compassion, intellect, love, and life.

"Good. Don't ever do it again." Wesley said angrily as he marched off into his office to pour himself a drink and search for a way to get his love Fred back into this world. Illyria turned to glare at him as he left. She had given Wesley back the woman he loved, what more did he want? If the answer was somewhere inside of her or her shell, Illyria would search inside and out for the answer. But how do you give something back to someone after you have been toughly mixed into it, with no way to get out. That was when she decided to walk around as Fred. Maybe there was some secret Fred had that she could use to convince people that their Fred was active and well but part of Illyria. So a thought got into her head that she should pay Lil a visit but she had to grab Flagellum the bunny, the destroyer of realms from Fred's office.

For an idol made from cloth and cotton stuffing, Illyria felt a close connection to her Shell Fred. Memories of when she was sick or scared Flagellum would protect her from harm. Now Illyria needed to learn that type of safety as she caressed the idol in her hands as she moved through the office to Interspecies Resources and entered.

Harriet who was dealing with a Vegetarian Werewolf that had issues with the Akins diet saw Illyria and knew that the Calvary had arrived.

"Illyria." Harriet called out, "Thank goodness you are here I've been looking all over for you." Harriet said as she took notice of Ilyria's form. "I see that you are exploring the aspects of your Burkle persona." Illyria just looked and tilted her head in her own manner to imply she was.

"Yes I am," she said in Fred's voice as it felt as if she was becoming one with her form. "But you know I feel that Wesley is a little upset that I look like this." In a breath Illyria switched to her lower voice. "It disconcerns me greatly."

"Well you are not the only one having to deal with their human and Demon Natures." Harriet said as Lil came into the room. "Listen Illyria This is Joel Sicily." Harriet said pointing to the Werewolf who was acting a little ancy. "I was going to hold a social get together of sorts and I was thinking if you feel up to it I want you to come." Harriet said waiting for Illyria to answer.

"I don't know..." Fred said as Illyria let this side of her take over. "I'm still trying to sort myself out. Between discovering that I am to be a merged being and living in a strange world, I'm scared."

"Well Joel here is the same way. He is a recent Werewolf and I was going to hold one of my famous mixers so that he can get his feet firmly planted on the ground to his state of being." Harriet said as Lil moved over to Illyria.

"Mind that I bring Wesley along?" Fred said to Harriet.

"Yeah if he is willing, so how does he think of your current form?" Harriet said to Illyria.

"I think I made him Angry. If there was a way for me to let him know that Fred and her soul were still in here with me and that the two of us are trying to figure out what the other is, then he might turn around and accept us as us." Fred said as some of Illyria's shading started to come back.

"Well, I plan to see you at the party. You still Living at the Hyperion?" Harriet said seeing Illyria become a little nervous.

"Yes, We are." Illyria said as Lil tugged at her hand.

"Is that your bunny Rabbit?" Lil said as Illyria knelt down to the child's eye level.

"Um, It's Fred's. But I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it?" Illyria said as the child moved and took the doll and started to cradle the figure in her hands. "Does he have a name?" The young hybrid demon said as she moved to a nearby chair and sat down.

"Flagellum, the destroyer of realms." The Fred Persona said to Lil.

"That's a funny name." The child giggled. "Does he have any powers?" This thought had not crossed Illyria's mind and she started to search through all of Fred's experiences for the Answer but only knew that the creature would create chaos and that was a force within itself.

"To create Chaos upon those who seek to harm him or what he wishes to protect." Illyria said switching to her own voice.

"Kinda of like Bugs Bunny, but without the humor." Lil said.

"I am not sure? Who is Bugs Bunny?" Illyria said as she sat down by the child.

"Well mom is right you do have a lot to learn about this world." Lil said to the once Ancient Demon-God. "Could you tell me a story? I would really like it." Lil said as she leaned next to Illyria.

"I will try but I only have tales of other world of which I have traveled." Illyria said as she started to tell the young demon of tales of worlds filled of smoke and half-truths, intangible to touch. Worlds of Torment, and of Unnamable beauty that Illyria tried her best to at least to surmised to the young child. Opaline towers as high as small moons and the creatures that lived within them. Glaciers that rippled with Incensing lust that moved across a frozen world's landscape. And a world with noting but shrimp which she only had spent only moments there but for the child it was like discovering another world in a pool of ocean water. For those moments of story telling Illyria felt as if being small wasn't a bad thing. It would turn out to be a blessing if she ever got the chance to understand her place in this strange world she found herself in. That was when she made the decision to be Fred If she and her shell were to be one, then she decided that the Illyria persona she had taken would be forever banished. From this day forward the soul of her shell would be returned and she would experience this world as a mortal and become a part of the Soul of Winifred Burkle. After she finished her story with Lil and waved goodbye to the child and her mother and left to head to Wesley's office to tell him of her decision. He wanted Fred back then he would have the woman he loved back.

As she entered Wesley's office in the night she could see him sitting at his desk staring off into space as she walked in as her Fred form. Wesley was still upset about her transformation in front of Fred's parents and she could feel it. She was the pain of grief tasting offal in his mouth.

"Wes? Are you, like... mad at me or something?" Fred said hoping that he would understand. This was a new world for her, Illyria to be in and the more comfortable she was as Fred then so be it, then Fred she shall be.

"Stop it." Wesley said distastefully to Illyria.

"Isn't it what you desire?" Illyria said in her own voice dropping the guise as she felt Fred's heart drop down a beat as she raced in an attempt to prevent this grief from spreading like a plague.

"I mean... you love me, I love you. What's the big deal?" She said in Fred's voice letting the shell speak its own thoughts, its will its true feelings as she stepped away and let the soul speak its mind.

"I loved her." Wesley said seeing through Illyria's changed form.

"You loved this. And part of you still does. I can feel it in you." Illyria said in her own voice as she walked closer to Wesley sensing the feelings within him and how Fred's soul wanted to be with him.

"I... wish to explore it further." She got stuck as if both the soul of Fred and of her self were fighting to gain control of the mouth to speak at the same time.

"Never. You... like this. It sickens me." Wesley said as she stood to face her with hatred and pain in his eyes.

"Oh, lord. We both know that ain't true." The Fred said as it gained control over her mouth and she smiled and walked closer to Wesley to let him know she was in there and had won a battle over her body.

"Stop it!" Wesley said as he leaned away from the Joined body of his love to avoid looking at her in any way.

"Change back. Be blue. Be anything. Don't be her." Wesley said with pain in his voice as he walked to the door. "Don't ever be her." With those words he walked out of his office and towards another bottle of Scotch. For a moment of time Illyria stood there before she leaned her head back and transformed her features back to the blue of Illyria of the Primordium.

"As you wish." Illyria said looking out the window and saw her reflection in the mirror. "Winifred Burkle, I am your servant, guide me to give your life back to you." She said awaiting an answer from the shell's soul, but only heard the crying from a girl from the land of Texas.

TBC

Note:

Angel Season V Episode #108: "The Girl In Question" Transcript of the show was written by Steven S. DeKnight from the website. It's a good site to check out if you are looking to quote from the show.

Next:

Part 7, Loss and the Bloody Battle.


	7. Part 7,

Part 7,

The world was erupting in pain and blood as Illyria stood looking in the direction of the on coming arming the followers of the Wolf, Ram and Hart and unleashed towards them. Three had fallen to the side, Leslie the Traitor of the Wolf, Ram and Hart; the fleeing of the Green Jester Lorne, and a person dear to her and Winifred's heart: the sorcerer Wesley. She could feel the pain build up in her heart as she struggled to deal with these feelings of pain. Soon she would find a release in battle. But she turned to look at the dark skinned one named Gunn. He would last mere moments before he fell. Something in her just snapped and she felt her form, her strength in her body. If there was a way to give him a small portion of it so that he could live through this battle, then so be it. She would give up part of her essence.

"Gunn, I need to cut my flesh on your Axe." Illyria said in the downpour.

"Why?" Gunn said as she moved and took her hand and ripped the glove off her royal battle garment and slit the palm of her hand over his blade till there was blood drawn and then she thrust her palm into his wound. Gunn only reacted in shock of what she had done to him.

"Human, your injuries will be halted until the battle is over. I have given you my essence. The one... Fred desires you to live. I have to obey her wishes." With that she took out one of her blades and prepared herself for the onslaught to come.

"Why?" Gunn said but was cut off before he could continue.

"She still cares for you and I must do what she says. Now I avenge Wesley." Illyria said as she took up a stance of a barrier to start to slice her enemies to the ground. Angel and Spike didn't know what was going on but Illyria stated that Fred was somewhere inside of her and she was to be a weapon this world had not seen in a long time. Then they fought.

* * *

Above the streets Connor, Son of Angel the Vampire with a soul stood watching the scene unfold. He was still injured from him and his father's fight with Hamilton but he knew that there was something going down. That was when he got on his cell phone and made a phone call to his girlfriend Jo-Ann. Jo-Ann who he had met several days after he learned of his origins of being born to Vampire Parents, having his life destroyed so many times that he had lost count and finally he had been given the chance to live it again, but his density had called him to help the helpless and now it was time to save the helpless in the hopeless.

Jo-Ann he had found in a battle with a demon on the campus. The way she had fought like pure poetry, pure artistic style. Between her moves and her form, she was beauty incarnate. She was a Slayer, having only seen a Slayer once and her name was Faith. The amount of strength and power he had seen was from a knew knocks on the head and his he only knew of them from the stories from his other life as Connor the Destroyer. But with Jo-Ann when he fought her after she had slain the monster it was a moving around each other to see what the other was but when the monster's buddy attacked they both found each other on the same side and defeated the creature. Then there was some comradely that grew between them. So they spent the rest of their patrol together getting to know each other. And over the past few weeks started to date. Heck when a guy learns that you are not the only super being on the campus, things start to get interesting. That and seeing a Sorority house full of girls with superpowers that can bench press as much as you, well this makes the discovery of you having superpowers look tame. Now he needed to call in every being he knew of having superpowers to fight the forces of evil. That was when he decided to attack from behind. Now all he had to do was hold out for ten minutes.

* * *

Kate Lockley was paroling in her car and was heading around on a simple errand, to pick up dinner. She was expecting the trip to be short but it had started to rain like cats and dogs, then it started pouring like Jaguars and Elephants, it was almost like it was going to be Noah's flood take two ala James Cameron, John Amel and Rolland Emmeriach. But it was soon to turn into a John Woo and Taoi International action flick when the Godzilla monster stepped right into her path.

"What the..." Kate said as she saw the beast heading in the direction of the Hyperion Hotel. "Angel who did you piss off this time?" With that Kate decided to follow the creature and found a war zone. Creatures and beasts of every sort of description were flooding into an ally and something was fighting them. Then as she stopped her car there was a loud ka-thunk on her hood as some kid wearing sandy khaki pants and a off blue and white shirt landed in front of her and started to run directly into the mess after he nailed one of the stragglers and took the creatures weapon.

"That kid is gonna get himself killed." Kate said to herself and made the decision to pull the kid out of this soon to be war zone. With that she hit the trunk release to her car and got out and proceeded to pull out a broad ax, a shotgun and a no so legal assault rifle and a few grenades. Screw the Holy water, and full speed ahead. With that thought in her mind Kate went down the ally to kick some demon ass. Soon Kate wouldn't be the only police officer going into a battle with monsters.

* * *

Across town at the Sigma Lambda Rho Sorority slash Fraternity house on the Berkley campus, Kennedy the Vampire Slayer was helping set up another Base of operations for the Neo-Watcher council. Between the fourteen college age Slayers that had been churned out by Giles and Willow in the Cleveland, Ohio Watcher's base, the plan was this, to ensure that the ever growing Slayer community was kept safe from future threats, there would be teams of Watchers and Slayers working as teams in major centers of supernatural danger. Los Angeles just happen to be one of the hot spots. So to apply a cover Willow came up with the idea of creating a Sorority slash Fraternity house on a college campus so to ensure a cover. Giles said that they were taking a page from the Initiative's handbook doing this. Hey between the Techno-Pagan Watcher Data running Intel with Willow in Ohio and Mera a S-Day Slayer Veteran. Keeping these young Warriors and Magic Throwers in line would be easier than it had been in Sunnydale. But hey, having young Watchers and Slayers learning each other's cultures was a good thing.

All Kennedy wanted to do after this mission of Setting up "Slayer House" as it had been dubbed by many of those in the know, was return to her love Willow for some major Lovin and Snugglin. But she wouldn't get the chance to do so for a few more weeks, and then the call came in. Phone Tree code 51 had been issued. Slayer in distress. A member of the Stanford branch visiting LA had sent a message that they needed Help ASAP. With that she got every She could get her hands and headed out the door to the Alley behind 26 Underhill Road in Los Angeles. Little did she know that the covert military operation known as the Initiative was also monitoring Slayer House as well and they launched a team to get ahead of the Slayers before they would show up? Little did they realize they were walking into a war zone.

* * *

Angel was up to his ass literally in Demons. Red ones, Green ones, Slimy ones, dry ones and things that looked like walking sacks of manure. If Buffy's friend Andrew was here he would have said that this was like a battle scene from one of the "Lord of the Rings" movies. In the last ten minutes he had killed at least twenty demons and Spike had done the same as they Sandwiched Gunn between them to form a wedge as they started to slice their way through the forces.

"Angel, Man whatever Illyria did to me, I feel like I might make it through this." Gunn said as he felt that his wounds were healing but they were filling with some sort of blue ooze that was keeping his insides inside of his body.

"Yeah, I see that Old blue doesn't want you die." Spike said as he decapitated another demon with a liberated sword.

"Yeah, I can almost see that she is behaving like Fred on a really pissed off bad day." Gunn continued as he took his battle Axe and sliced through another opponent. Then that was when they started to hear shotgun blasts.

"What the..." Angel said as he looked up to see the demons become stuck in a sort of counter attack from behind.

"I don't know who it is but who ever they are I'm buying them a drink after this brawl." Spike said as he grabbed a demon from the neck and snapped it neck while using the body as a shield as another demon tried to run him through with a sword. With a move he used the weapon the skewered demon had and used it the slice his attacker in half.

"Yeah, I don't know who they are but they are definitely on our side." Gunn said as he saw a harpoon fly through the air and impale the giant demon in the chest then there was a screeching of tires as he saw the giant fell down as several grenades were tossed into the creature's head and a moment later exploded taking down one of the big two creatures leaving only the dragon left to slay.

"Hey Gunn... Annie said that you going to do something stupid. But Man, if it was going to this BIG we would have brought a few more kegs of Beer." One of Gunn's old vampire hunting buddies said.

"Yeah. I know, how many of these guys are left?" Gunn yelled out wondering where his buds were at.

"I don't know but lets just say. Hold on." Then there was a loud boom followed by a few shotgun blasts. "To get back. Can you say enough to seat everyone at a Lakers Game?" The voice said back.

"Well I hope that you brought some more help with you? Because we are going to bloody well need it." Spike said as he and Gunn decided to follow the line of the building then Spike heard the clinking of a gun from above as well as the stringing of a bow. "Gunn I think we should take some cover." With those words a slew of bullets lighting strikes and arrows flew down into the alley slaughtering several hundred demons and monsters in the process. Then there was a battle cry.

"Slayers... ATTACK...." With that at least twenty girls jumped down onto the street. Many of the demons who had heard rumors of the Slayer, had not encountered the full strength of several dozen Slayers all wanting to kick some ass. With that several came from behind while others swung down from above. For Charles Gunn they were all Angels sent down from God or whatever higher being was in the same Union with the Powers That Be.

"I don't know who ever is up there Spike but I get the feeling the PTB's are sending a message. "Don't fuck with Earth."" Charles said as felt his guts. Whatever Illyria had done to him had only slowed his injuries down. He would have to get to a Hospital soon, but his ten minutes had been extended to five times of what he originally had.

"Yeah, I wonder where Angel and Blue are at?" Spike said as a young Slayer no older than fifteen landed in front of them and started to join with them.

"You guys waiting for a pair of stone tablets signed by the Almighty or what? Come and help me." The slayer said as she started stabbing at the big red creature in front of her.

"Will do love." Spike said as he helped the Slayer out as Gunn covered the rear making sure that no one snuck up on them.

"You have a name?" Gunn said as he swung his Axe into the head of an oncoming attacker.

"Yes, its Vi..." With that the small Slayer twisted the creatures neck and it died and Gunn, Spike and the Vi the Vampire Slayer were working their way through the kill zone of the Alley. Elsewhere Illyria of the Prymordium was slashing a swath of death and pain in her wake as she moved towards the Half-Breed Angel. Illyria had not felt this much power or pain in all of her life. Now she knew how Humans had become the dominant species on this planet. Though weak in their bodies, their spirit and fury once unleashed made her former form look weak. Now she knew why the Oracles wanted her to be merged into this small shell, its will once unleashed was like no weapon she had ever held. She was punching, stabbing, killing, mauling with whatever she could get her hands on. There were several Female warriors that were flanking with her and she sensed that she was part of a wave of vengeance. The Followers of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart would fall for a time but this was not a battle for Victory, it was a message for time in memoriam. They would pay for the Death of Wesley and the other innocents that died over the centuries for just being in the way of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart.

Wesley, the man who took the god of a god and turned her into a person would be remembered for generations to come.

Illyria could feel that her old jaws were returning as she roared in pain at the thought of these creatures getting away without being punished for this crime to her once cold heart. The hot tears coming down her face made the acid bite of the rain look like it was nothing. Then a warrior wearing Green welding a lighting weapon fired it several times until it finally failed him and he was forced to use it as a club. But the creatures grabbed the warrior and flung him down and the weapon was weakened from his grasp and slid through the puddle of water to Illyria's feet. Illyria would have not heeded this warrior's cries for help but it was the creature's appearance and color that made her act. It was a demon belonging to the Sorcerer Cirrus Vale and pure pain and anger swelled up into her and she moved over, picked up the weapon and proceeded to march over the demon as it was about to kill the human warrior and started to speak as blue electricity started to flow around her as primal memories of pain flooded back to the surface.

"You know what they say about payback? Well, I'm the Bitch?" Illyria said in Fred's voice as she took the Initiative agent's stun rifle and impaled it into the Demon's ass and pulled the trigger electrocuting the creature from the inside out. The warrior just looked up and saw her face and thought he had seen something in pain of humanity showing through the woman's face. With a smooth move she yanked him off of the ground and thrust a weapon into his hand.

"If you want to live... fight to stay alive, or else the scourge here will come those you love." With that Illyria pulled out her own blades and started to slice a path of her own towards Angel. The Soldier just stood there and watched her path of destruction.

"That is one really pissed of Slayer." With that he turned to help out several of his Unit and Gang members slicing their way through this demon horde.

Angel had gotten separated from Gun, Illyria and Spike, but given the number of Slayers around him word had gotten out about him needing help. That was when he saw Connor fighting along side with a girl. He had told Connor to go home and be with his Family, Well if he was here Connor had made up his mind that the Fang Gang was his Family and not the Adopted one he had been with for the past year.

"Connor," Angel cried out as he worked his way through the demon Horde to his son, but Illyria came up beside of him.

"We must conquer this enemy Half-Breed. Gunn grows weaker, but I sense that though their forces are weakening..." Illyria said looking around, "This is just the first volley in a war. Now we must send them a message that we are here to stay. The beast you seek to slay is heading this way. We must find a way to fight it on our own terms." Illyria said as she moved close to Angel with her weapons and hands heavily coated in blood.

"Illyria is it just me or are you telling me that this is the first battle of a war?" Angel said coming to the realization of what he had done.

"Yes it is." Illyria said as they continued to shred through the forces. "The Warriors in the Green, the dark skinned ones like Gunn and the ones called Slayer have provided us an edge, now we must now kill one of their mighty beasts to let them know we will win. You wished to slay it. I shall aid you." With that Illyria pointed up into the air and above the chaos of the battle below there was a News helicopter hovering above.

"I'm with You Illyria." Angel said as he rushed to where Conner was battling side by side with a Slayer.

* * *

In a hotel room of Cabo San Luca, Mexico Nina Ash was moving around the bed as she pulled out several swimsuits to try on, but she thought hard about it and remembered her fantasy; she wanted to go skinny-dipping at night with Angel. To feel her nude badly against his muscular frame, but he had sent her away. Why had he done this to her, she felt that she had done something wrong or there was something up that he was reluctant to tell her about.

She just felt like ripping the robe she was wearing over he nude body and howling in anger at him letting the primal being she was possessed by take over. But she stopped and decided to toss several items around the room. Being a Werewolf at times was just plain bad. To feel Civil and primal at the same time, it was confusing but it had given her strength to go on. Angel said, "don't let the monster win." She was trying but she had been wounded in the heart. That was when she sunk down on the floor and most of her robe came undone leaving her exposed. That was when Jill and her daughter Amanda came into the room and saw her sobbing.

"Nina, you okay?" Jill said as she came over to her sister.

"No... It's Angel... He... He...." Nina couldn't hold it in anymore she started crying. With that Jill moved over and held her sister close.

"It's okay, I know the guy is a jerk." Jill said to her sister, "But sheesh, What ever the reason he asked you to get out of town for some time must have been something that he needed to take care of." Jill said as she turned to see her daughter moving over to the television and turned it on and started to flip through the channels and saw something interesting.

"Amanda could you turn the TV off." Jill said to her daughter. It took only a moment her to see Nina's boyfriend on the TV.

"Mom is that Aunt Nina's boyfriend?" Amanda said as she moved away from the TV.

"What the..." Nina said as she got up from the floor and moved over to the Television, on the screen Angel was standing with five other people as they were fighting for their lives. That was when it sunk in for Nina of why he didn't tell her why she had to leave. He wanted her as far away from this battle as he could. He loved so much that to save her from the battle he would endure and probably from being bait for those creatures, he had sent her away to be safe. Hell he probably had the other ticket on him. That was when she saw Angel pull out two of some sort of grappling hook gun and fired it at the news helicopter covering the battle as a mass horde of creatures started to move in as the Army guy with them did the same.

"Carl... It appears that several of the people who are fighting the battle have fired grappling hooks to my helicopter; it is as if they want me to pull them up. And I'm obliging." The chopper pilot said as he started to haul the five people on the three lines on up. Four of which were climbing their way up the to the cabin. Nina just held her breath as she looked at Angel's face as the Camera inside of the chopper that showed the pilot pointed out the face of Angel. He looked like he had been through a fight, his face had scratch marks all over it and claw damage where his black coat had been ripped but next to him was a girl with matted blue hair that looked like she had been through much, and things that would scare the freakin Terminator. She looked like a Goth Terminmatrix Babe and was in a state of wanting to kill, but Blue's eyes look like she had been through a recent loss that shook her soul to its core and Nina knew that it was the loss of a loved one. And at that moment Nina forgave Angel some for sending her away. He knew that if she was there Nina would have been at his side. If she died, then Angel would have felt grief. Now all she wanted to do was to watch as wanting to know what would happen next to her love.

That was when the Army guy got in and started looking around. "Sir we need to requisition this helicopter." The Army guy said as Angel looked around the outside window as the rain still was coming down.

"Listen, We need to find out where all these Demons are coming from." A young girl said from the back Seat as the woman with Matted Blue hair moved almost mechanically around as if she was surveying for something then she found it.

"Angel. The Spawn of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart are coming from that direction." The blue woman said as Angel leaned forward and adjusted the camera controls on the display system and saw a huge forty-foot in Diameter vortex on the street.

"Crap." Angel said as he got a look at the Blue woman had pointed out. Then it set in for him as he turned towards the rest of the people in back. "Illyria, Is there any way that we can seal that vortex so that we can deal with the forces the Senior Partner's brought here so they are not getting constant reinforcements?" Angel said to the Blue Lady. It took her several moments as she chewed over whatever she knew then she responded.

"Angel, At My current power, I will not be strong enough to close the gateway." Illyria said as she started going over her options. "The odds of our survival are going down even as we debate about it. I would rather smash some more and Avenge Wesley." Illyria said as the girl in the back leaned forward.

"You said that you didn't have enough power to close the vortex, what if you had some additional juice to help you out, would that help you close the vortex?" The blond girl in the back said as Illyria went over thinking about what she said.

"Yes, it would work but the only being that I have encountered that had that type of power was Wesley and he was a Shadowman, a being that you call a Watcher. He is dead now, I do not know if others like him will come to our aid." Illyria said turning to the girl.

"Well, Will like thirty or forty Watchers do for you?" The girl said to Illyria, "Because... Well I didn't just bring Slayers along with me, I kinda of thought that we might need the extra fire power given what Connor said on the phone."

"Yeah, Right. Guys who can shoot lighting, and throw fireballs, Right. Major Artillery." The guy with short mop toped hair said in back.

"Connor. We need all the help we can, here." Angel said to the kid.

"Okay, Jo-Ann Contact Data, I hope that with his skills he might get the rest of the Watchers together and we can form a running wedge to drive these guys back to the vortex." Connor said to the girl as she pulled out a cell phone with a built in Walkie-talkie and start to speak in it.

"Data. Data do you read me??? It's Jo-Ann. Listen we need you to pull and gather what forces you can and move them to the hotel. We need you and the other Watchers, Mages and whatever's you got to use your powers to help us close that vortex." Jo-Ann yelled into the speaker. A moment later there was some static and the creaking of gunfire.

"Read you Jo-Ann, Me and a few of the Locals and the Commandos are heading that way. Hold on." The Voice said over the Speaker and outside there was a large fireball going up.

"Geesus Man. What in God's name was that?" The pilot said seeing the mushroom cloud go up into the air.

"Sorry about that Jo-Ann, me and Tiffany just had to use some major mojo on something you don't want to know about." Data said as there was a pause. "Listen where ever you guys are we could use some air support because this Dragon has us pinned down." The voice said, as Angel knew where they had to head next. With a clear move he took the radio from Jo-Ann's hand.

"Listen, if I give you time to get out of there; can you get your Asses to that vortex and shut it down." Angel yelled into the radio. A moment later he got his response.

"Yes, unless you got some freaking anti-aircraft gun or are some insane skydiver that happens to have a sword to take that fire breathing son of a Bitch out." Data said over the radio.

"Well I'm dropping some of your friends off, I need you to work with them to get to that vortex." Angel said as Jo-Ann and Connor looked at him understanding what they had to do. "Illyria, go with Connor I want you to use your powers with their friends and take out that bottle neck they are coming through." Angel said as the woman in blue nodded in agreement. "Sergeant." Angel said as he turned to the Army guy. You have a radio on you, contact your buddies and have them work with my friends. If we do this all we have to deal with is the stragglers, if not then you are looking at the ground zero of a serious infestation in this city of some really bad and nasty things that are not human tolerant. With that the army officer got on the preferable phone to his buddies.

"Command, I think we found a way to stop this infestation. Several Friendly Sub-Ts and Non-Subs have come up with a plan to stop the horde coming through." The sergeant said.

"We read you sergeant, we have been monitoring local communications and we are in agreement here." The voice said over the military radio. "Give whatever assistance you can, we are sending backup. Hang on and Godspeed son." The voice said as the Sergeant turned back to Angel.

"Sir, I believe that we should land this helicopter near where that explosion when off at." The sergeant said as Angel had other plans in mind.

"Connor, You and Jo..." Angel became stuck as he had a brain fart on the girl's name but just continued on. "Take Illyria here and work your way to the portal." Angel said as he moved and picked up his sword that he had stashed into his jacket. "I have a plan to give you a way through. I'm going Dragon Slaying."

"Okay, well it looks like our stop is coming up." Connor said as he an Jo-Ann held each other's hands and Illyria took a look down at her ungloved hand and looked at the cut she had made to keep Gunn alive.

"Wesley, Fred... Thank you for all you have given me. I will become a better person for your sake." Illyria said in a low whisper that only Angel and Nina could hear with their enhanced hearing. "I will fight to protect the lives of the innocent that you have showed me. Help the Helpless." Jo-Ann moved her hand over as she got up and placed it on Illyria's hand.

"Its good to pray before a battle, it lets you know that you are not alone in this fight." Jo-Ann said as Illyria did her bird tilt of her head.

"I wasn't praying, I was speaking to the dead." Illyria said, as she knew that this was no the time to argue but it was a time before a new battle would begin. That was when the chopper pilot spoke.

"I can't land the chopper, the wind is picking up and we are at least twenty feet up off the ground so unless you know how to repel down those ropes you climbed up on, your stuck with me." Suddenly Connor pulled the side helicopter door open and stepped out on the landing rudder.

"Too high for a human, but me, Jo and Blue here aren't human. Don't worry Dad I'll have the girl home and the car in the garage before midnight." Connor said to the pilot and Angel as he Jo-Ann and Illyria moved in a straight line out of the helicopter and landed from the twenty-foot jump like it was merely a three-foot wall at a skater park.

It only took a moment for the guy in the control room to switch the feed and the audience saw what the pilot saw. Those three were no mere mortals as they proceeded from the rooftop then collectively jumped over the edge of he building and did another twenty-foot fall to the street as they dove into the battle.

"Okay they're down, lets see if we can find a flying lizard and bring its ass down." Angel said as he turned to the Corporal as he took the controls of the chopper.

"Well what are you going to do?" The chopper pilot said as Angel put on his Vampire game face and he got a look at Angel's features and stopped speaking.

"I'm going fishing with a sword and a grappling hock." Angel said, as he knew what you needed to do. "Listen if I don't make it, I want you to track a girl down by the name of Nina Ash, she is an Art Student. Tell her that I have the ticket, she'll know what that means." With that Angel braced himself to dive out of the window when they found the dragon.

"It's time to go fishing." With that Angel braced himself into the hatchway and looked out into the night sky. "The things I have to go through to become human." Angel said to himself as he saw what he was looking for and dove out of the chopper. With that Nina held her breath and put her hand on the screen.

"Come to me Angel." Nina said as tears started to come down her face.

* * *

Shawn "Data" Daniels was shooting his nine-millimeter berretta off like mad and throwing fireballs and shields up whenever he could. But he knew that unless they took out these demons air support, he knew that they were screwed. Given who had taken the two-way cell phone walkie-talkie from Jo-Ann stated that there was a plan in motion. Between seeing the Army Guys in supped up paint ball gear and a lady with a mean shotgun things were going from worse to somewhat bad. Man was this like what happened during the D-Day invasion, heck even the recent S-Day attack on the Hellmouth was less messy than this. But that was when he saw Jo-Ann and her boyfriend Connor along with a woman who would have put Kristanna Loken's Terminatrix to shame in sheer attitude.

"Jo-Ann, Connor get your Asses over here." Data yelled as he started to fire a series of rounds at a creature that would have made H.R. Giger want to puke or at least make out with.

"Data, listen we have a plan in action, now were is your secret weapon is because we need it." Data said as he slicked back his black hair and tried to shake his head so that the water wouldn't get into his contact lenses.

"Well I hope that you like this idea, we need to get all the magic throwers we can an hopefully close the gateway these demons are streaming through." Jo-Ann said as Illyria moved over to stand by Data.

"This one has power that will do." Illyria said looking at the human sorcerer in her off side bird like view of things.

"So all we need is someone that can act as a lens for this little plan and hope that they are not torn apart in the process." Data said as Illyria looked over to see Gunn still standing but he was being wrapped in a makeshift bandage that one of the Slayers was making out her shirt as Gunn was aiding another injured Slayer just barely in her teens set her arm behind the wreckage of an overturned car. .

"Charles..." Illyria said as she rushed over to Gunn's side.

"Illyria..." Gunn said as she knelt down beside of him.

"You are still alive... It is good." In that moment the beings that were Illyria and Fred finally merged together into one being. "I still have feelings for you Charles, you don't die on me. I've already loss Wesley, I don't want to lose you too." With that Illyria threw her arms around Gunn and hugged him and she started to cry. "Charles if we get through this, I want you to..." Gunn took her face in her hands and had her look up.

"Blue, you need to do what you need to do. I'll help clean up here." Gunn said, as Illyria knew that she had a mission now to seal the vortex.

"I Will Charles." Illyria said as she kissed him with the human warmth of a human soul. "You be careful and break a few demon legs in the process." She said as she pulled away and returned to Connor and Jo-Ann's side.

"What was that about?" Connor said as Illyria pulled out her blades.

"Something I have to do after this battle." Illyria said as she returned to Shiva mode. "Mage, summon your kin the army of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart will not continue their flood into this world. I will focus your powers to close the doorway." Illyria said to Data as he reached over to touch his hands free earpiece.

"Data to all Watcher and Slayer forces we are about to do something major. We need to hit the vortex. All Mages and Magic throwers I need you to harness all your powers and toss them in that direction. We have a lens and we are going to use it." Data yelled into his radio.

"Finally, its party time." Was the reply back over the radio.

"Move out people, do you want to live forever." Connor said as he quoted his favorite John Wayne war movie line.

* * *

Angel was free falling through the air as he guided himself in the direction of the Dragon. With that he got his grappling hook ready. All of his life since he was a child he had always wanted to slay a dragon like he had heard in fairy tales. Now actually free falling through the sky, it was like a dream mixed with a nightmare. Most of Angel's two hundred and fifty year life flashed before his eyes. The good times, the bad times, the times he wanted to just forget and the times of pure joy. And he thought of Nina. How he had shown her that being something supernatural did not mean you were a monster. You were just different, and had to adjust to things that normal people just didn't have to do. He remembered the last time he saw her naked. Not naked due to her having to change into a werewolf naked, but seeing her in the shower of his Wolfram and Hart penthouse naked. How the water dripped off of breasts and the curve of her cleavage as well as around her hair that caught him by surprise, as he had to shave by touch. It was as if there were parts of the women he knew throughout his life all rolled into her. Darla, Buffy, Kate and Cordillia it was as if they were rolled up into one woman. He remembered when she stepped out of the shower that though naked she wanted to explore some of the black Vampire Veins on his skin with her hand as she wrapped the towel around her head to dry her hair. Nudity for her had lost some of the embarrassing qualities it had for her human self, but she had felt free.

"Angel, you know you being a vampire and me being a werewolf have you ever thought about being a father." Nina said as she moved up in front of him and let her wet body soak his sleep pants.

"Nina, there are some things that I hope that when I get a chance I'll tell you. But with children I don't know how I will do." Angel said stopping as he thought of his son Connor. How he had to give up everything so that his son could have a normal life. But that seemed to had been taken from him. His son had discovered that he wasn't human and that he was Angel's child. He would have to tell Nina about his progeny. That conversation stuck in his mind more than the argument they had later that evening when he had given Nina the plane tickets for her sister and niece to go spend a few days in Cabo. Man there were things that went through your mind. Man did he know how to sulk in self-pity. That was when the Dragon came into Range.

"Time to do some business." Angel said as he fired his grappling hook to the Dragon. It took a moment before the line hit the Dragon's side leaving the creature in excruciating pain. "Oh, Crap..." Angel said as he swung into the direction and he felt that he was skiing behind a speedboat doing a one hundred and twenty miles per hour. But it was more like a scene out of a Batman cartoon Angel had seen while spending his days inside watching TV with him hanging on for dear life as he was dragged behind the dragon as he started to be pulled along on the rope. As he started to pull his way the line he started to hatch his way through so that he could get to the dragon. It took several swoops of the dragon throughout the sky that he knew that this was going to be interesting. Then Angel looked at where the Dragon was taking him. The Dragon was going to attempt to scrape him off by flying though several of the near rooftops in the downtown area.

"Okay I'm getting the feeling that I hit a nerve." Angel said as he was dragged behind the dragon, as he had to swing to avoid missing a water tower. The feeling Angel had was that he had to work his way up the line before he got plastered against some building or some other obstacles. Man Batman and Spider-Man made this look easy.

"Okay that is it Scourge the Dragon; you are going down." Angel said as he grabbed hold of the line and started to clime his way up the line. "Because of you and your master, I am missing out on going to Cabo, apologizing to my werewolf girlfriend, walking with foreside girlfriend on a moon lit beach and making passionate love to her as I massively start to write major apologetic love poetry all over her.... " Angel's train of thought was broken as he grabbed hold of the dragon's leg and stabbed his sword into the dragon to get some leverage on the beasts back as it roared out in pain. "Hey Jerk, now you know how I feel when you guys decided to muck with my life." With that Angel swung the line he had climbed up on over and around the Dragon's neck and started to pull himself forward until he was sitting just far enough behind the creature's back that it couldn't get to him nor fling him off no matter how much it swung him around. "Now lets take you for a test drive." Angel said as he took the line in his hands like a harness and took control of the dragon like he would a horse and started to guide it back to where the portal lay open.

* * *

On the ground Illyria was fighting side by side with the Slayers, the "Army Guys" called G.I. Joe, a warrior maiden named Lockley, Spike, Connor, Member's of Gunn's crew and several of the Mages. She felt like she was alive and scared at the same time. This wasn't the need to make violence to be angry or out of pain; this was a fight to help push the darkness away. It had been a slow march towards the portal but several steps along the way Illyria started to feel like she was changing into something different than she had been. Not a God, nor a human, nor truly demon. But something completely different it wasn't until a woman with long dark hair wearing denim garments came in front of her as she slew several of the warriors of the Wolf, Ram and Hart with a small stabbing blade made from wood. Illyria grew to respect this warrior's skill and her method of fighting. If this woman had been one of her acolytes she would have made this warrior one of her head generals just from this one battle.

"Warrior, What is your name?" Illyria said as she took one of her blades and cleaved the heads off of several opponents in succession.

"Kennedy, the Vampire Slayer." The warrior said as Illyria jumped into the air and did a flying drill kick into an ten foot tall Cyclops and left a two and a half foot hole in the creature's chest.

"I am Illyria of the Prymordium." Illyria said as she moved beside this warrior who gave her a grin.

"You fight like a Slayer, that's good." Kennedy said as she looked at Illyria and raised up her small stabbing weapon and threw it to something that was standing behind Illyria and Illyria saw a albino looking creature that smelled of half-breed about to attack Kennedy so with just a glance and understanding among two warriors they threw their weapons at the other's would be attacker. Kennedy's sake flew into the demon behind Illyria and with all of her Might Illyria used the weapon's staring drill pattern and proceeded to shove it through the creature's armored skull that it came out of the other side thus taking out the would-be invulnerable opponent by leaving a huge hole in its skull. At the same time Kennedy ducked to the side as Illyria's blade impacted the Uber-Vamp's neck as the blade expanded and Kennedy grabbed hold of the blade's hilt and twisted the creature around until the creature's head came off and the body turned to dust. Illyria and Kennedy bent down to retrieve the other's weapon and examined it just long enough to know that though separated by culture and design, these were the weapons that a true warrior used in battle that and the weapons were perfectly balanced.

"Your blade." Kennedy said as she handed Illyria's crimson blade back to it master and Illyria handed Kennedy's stake back to her.

"Nice stake, small yet very effective." Illyria commented as several more opponents came to rushing the two. Before they could attack, their attackers were blown apart by what looked like projectile-based magic that emitted pure light. They turned to where the attack had come from to see several of the Mages standing there with weapons similar to the ones that Wesley had used during the battle at the gate of Illyria's temple.

"Will you two get moving, you can talk about battle tactics, kill methods and clothing and hairstyle choices later. We have a vortex to close and bad thingies to kill." Said the Mage called data as he moved past them and started to kill anything that was coming towards him. Illyria moved over to Kennedy and spoke.

"Is he always like that?" The former Demon-Goddess said to the Slayer.

"No, not really. He is just pissed that he has had to pass up the first few days of COMDEX to save the world." Kennedy said to Illyria.

"What is this Comm Dex?" Illyria said to Kennedy as they proceeded to move forward with the forces along side of them occasionally taking down an opponent or two alone the way.

"Some major techno science geeks party where they talk about technology, the newest gear and the latest magical new techno thingies." Kennedy said as she moved and drop kicked half-pint creature in the head before stabbing it in the neck. "My friend Willow is they're doing a bulk looks around at the new stuff so that the Watcher community is up to date with the times."

"Science, Magic. It does the same thing." Illyria said as they moved with the forces. "All I want to do now is kill and hurt those who killed my sweet precocious Wesley."

"Well, I'll help you avenge your friend." Kennedy said as they looked up at the on coming horde rising towards them. Then out of the corner of their eyes they saw the dragon flying towards them. Preparing for the creature to set them on fire, the creature over flew them and started to spray flames onto the demon horde, quickly leveling much of the oncoming forces rising towards them.

Illyria used her sight to see that there was a lone figure on the back of the dragon guiding it into the oncoming horde. It was Angel. Illyria knew where he was aiming the dragon for; he was going to shave the beast right down the throat of the Wolf, Ram and Hart.

"Mages, I order you to focus your powers upon me so that I can close this vortex." Illyria yelled at the top of her lungs. "Data, we must fold the vortex onto itself to seal it."

"Illyria I understand, you want a inside out sleeve." Data said realizing what she was about to do. With that Data and the other Watchers that had magical powers channeled all their magical strength into Illyria and they guided her to fold the space around the portal. Angel seeing what they were doing to the vortex he reigned the dragon in that direction as a very large creature started to emerge from the vortex that made the giant that they had fought earlier look like a mini-me. Taking his sword Angel in his hand he prepared to make a deathblow as she forced the dragon into a full out accelerated rush into the portal. With all of Angel's supernatural strength he swung the blade through the Dragon's neck decapitating the head and with it Angel road the head down like a sky board as the rest of the body collided into the uber-gaint's body causing it to fall backwards into the portal. This incoming mass of the dragon Angel had shoved through the portal along with Illyria's manipulating of the portal caused the event horizon to collapse in on itself. For a moment both the Dragon and the Uber-Gaint exited neither in one place or the other, nor were they merged. But the Uber-Gaint was collapsed in on itself as the fastest moving mass of the Dragon's body forced the vortex to close in on itself.

* * *

Up in the Helicopter the pilot and the sergeant were looking at the scene and realized that what had happened was major. The vortex was closed and the war zone that was downtown LA looked like there was sporadic fighting going on, but the major threat had been neutralized.

* * *

Angel was riding on top of the Dragon's head as it was freefalling down, he quickly had to devise a way that he wouldn't wind up as a piece of street pizza, so as fast as he was going he had to make sure that his speed was fast enough that he could slide the head down the street and come to a safe stop. Man George Clooney made this look easy in the last Batman film. That was when Angel decided to get out his backup grappling hook out of his jacket and readied him self to fire it as he aimed the head for a section of high buildings near where he could fire the line safely. As he journeyed down he knew that this was just the first battle of many that would have to be fought ahead. Now he had to make sure that the others were okay.

* * *

William the Bloody was finishing off killing a few of the stragglers that were attempting to make a feast of the injured forces around him. Vi the Slayer that had helped him and Gunn in the mêlée in the Alley was lying against a wall, her shoulder being dislocated and her arm broken in at least two places. Spike had draped his leather jacket over her to at least keep her dry. He had used part of his shirt and his belt to make an impromptu sling for her arm. But he knew that for a young Slayer battle was a key part of their being, that and going against what your elders told you. Given the large blast that had happened several moments ago, Old Blue had done their thing, now all he had to do was make sure that this young Slayer made it to adulthood, heck even fifty so that she could tell the tell of the time she fought along side a Vampire with a soul and won a battle.

"Stay alive little bobbit." Spike said as he decapitated a head off a demon that had not gotten the sense to get the heck out of Dodge when the vortex was slammed shut.

"Spike, do you think Slayers get a chance to have children." Vi said as she attempted to get up from where Spike had placed her.

"Sure Bobbit." Spike said as she moved over towards her. "I have met the son of a Slayer, so they do have the chance to have children. I hear that there is going to be another Slayer that has one in the oven." Spike said as she leaned over and picked the young Slayer up to carry her to a triage area that had been set up by Gunn and several of the Initiative Guys. "Come on, wee one stay with me." Spike said as he could hear the beating of her heart as it kept beating. "Listen Bobbit at the end of this I'll tell you my life story if you tell me yours." Spike said as he turned to see several other Slayers coming to him along with what looked like EMT doctors. It looked like someone had dispatched the paramedics. Several police officers started to come forward wearing full SWAT gear.

"You took your bloody time getting here." Spike said as he noticed the personnel held up their weapons and started to shoot at something behind him as he dove with Vi in his arms.

"You could have given me some warning." Spike said as he turned to see what was standing behind him. It took only a moment for him to realize that the figure was a Braken demon in full battle transformation with the spikes coming out of his face and he was attempting to say something. Spike handed the Slayer to the EMT docs and moved over to where the Braken demon lay as he was slowly reverting back to his human state. It was one of the Allies that the Slayers had bought with them to the battle to help Connor out, and the Cops had hot him in cold blood thinking he was of the things that was trashing the area.

"Gods, it hurts so much...." the kid said as Spike leaned over to hold the kid up. Behind him several others were coming on up behind him. Several Slayers and other warriors that had helped close the vortex had come. One of the warriors was a young woman with long wet black hair and olive skin who started to run over with Illyria in tow.

"Carlos. Gods what have they done to you." She screamed as she fell to her knees letting the long black athletic leggings she was wearing soak up the over two inches of water that was on the street.

"Kar..." the injured Braken demon said as he started to cough up blood as his face morphed to its spiked form between heaves. "... Mom said that rain was a sign of death for me. Now I know..." the demon boy said as Illyria came over and knelt down and touched him.

"This wound is mortal." Illyria said as tears tore at her face. "How many of the forces of Light do we have to lose this night?"

"I know..." then Carlos turned to look at Kar, "Kar, I have never seen your Demon Half can I see it now." The Braken said as the girl leaning over him started to change her face. The young woman's black hair flowed back and shifted to a slightly lighter tone of brown as her face started to morph into a pinkish red tone as a pair of long green horns flowed from her forehead and clung to the sides of her head as the swept backwards and morphed in a line behind her ears which were pointed. What surprised Spike was that the woman looked almost normal even with those features. Then as he turned he saw that several other non-humans had started to morph their features to their demon forms. One of the Slayers was taking out a tube of lipstick and painting her face with the first three lines of red to represent the First Slayer. Spike moved and put his game face on to honor the kid. Several of the cops and EMT wondered what to do, but one of the Initiative guys stopped them from raising their weapons.

"Thank you...." were Carlos's last words on this plain of existence as Kar let out a wale of pain as she held his body close to her. Charles Gunn moved over and bowed his head as he said a prayer for the fallen warrior. Angel came up wearing his game face and grabbed one of the cops that had shot the kid and held him off of the ground.

"He was one of ours, he was fighting to make sure that the monsters that go bump in the night; didn't eat anyone." Angel said as he looked at the Dragon head that had crashed into the roof of an old 1980 navy blue Volkswagen station wagon. "You had no right... You had no right...."

Charles Gunn started to sway as the loss of blood and the strain of exhaustion set in. Illyria rose to catch him from falling.

"We need to tend the wounded, Angel or others will die from their injuries." Illyria said as she supported Gunn to make sure that he stayed awake and alert so he wouldn't die.

"Blue, you are acting like a true human." Gunn said as Illyria guided him to where the Ambulances were coming in.

"Now I know why Angel fights for the humans even if they are stupid creatures. They have the strength that makes the powers that the Old Ones wielded long ago look like nothing."

At that moment the world knew that not all the things that looked different wanted to hurt them. Some fought to keep their own humanity intact while others sought to explore their own. Funerals would be had, injured would be healed, but the spark that was human will would go on for another day. Like a time long ago this was just a lull in the storm of battles to come.

TBC

* * *

Next

Part 8,


	8. Part 8,

Part 8,

* * *

Illyria sat in the hospital room next to Gunn; she could sense how much she had changed since when had been reborn into this world. Kar or Charisma as she had been known to her friends Illyria had helped as she sat in the waiting room waiting to hear about the fate of her Slayer and Mage friends after she had lost her boyfriend and fellow Neo-Scooby in the battle they had waged against the forces of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart. Illyria had offered to participate in the Bracken Funerary rites to honor the young warrior. Kar had accepted as Illyria had taken to wearing the Fred face but still keeping the warrior vestments on as she wondered among the fellow warriors she had fought along side. It wasn't until she had gotten to Charles Gunn's room that she felt like she needed to do something more, so she had taken up to sitting at his bedside and holding his hands. Several doctors and healers had come to her to ask what was the stuff in his gut that had prevented him from bleeding all over the place from all of his injuries; all she had said it was just part of her. That she wanted him to live long enough that they could get through the battle and him somewhere so that they could treat his injuries. When they wanted to know more, all she said was that she had done it on instinct and started to become scared as she moved against a wall and curled up on the floor. So the doctors had stopped asking her, probably knowing it was probably something biological she could do given the wound in her hand.

One of the Slayers had been an EMT in training had moved to patch up her hand so along with some magical medical ointments and a couple of stitches in her hand that itched like mad, Illyria's bandaged hand was slowly healing. So all Illyria worried about was that she had to make sure that Wesley's funeral was ready and that Charles was well enough to attend it.

"Hey Blue." Spike said coming into the room wearing one of the spare leather jackets that he had gotten in Italy and carrying a potted plant. Illyria raised her head to see Spike there.

"Hello Spike," Illyria, said, as she looked Haggard, that and she hadn't changed out of her leather cat suit, which looked like it was starting to smell.

"Angel told me to swing by to see how the two of you are doing." Spike said as he came in and placed the plant down on a nearby table.

"I am doing well, but Gunn needs time to heal." Illyria said as Gunn shifted awake.

"Hi, Blue." Then Gunn's gaze shifted to where Spike stood. "Well isn't it one of the Fang Brothers, Spike. So where is our illustrious leader?" Gunn said groggily.

"Well Gunn, Old Stiffly pants is filling in the Watcher Council about him going old Undercover for the Powers that Be." Spike said as he pulled up a chair. "But things are somewhat still a rustle with the entire Alien's walk among us stuff going on. But the Slayers that saved our Butts do want to have a word with you." Spike continued.

"So the world knows the truth about Wolfram and Hart?" Gunn said as he looked into Spike's eyes for the answer.

"Well, when you took out that Hell Spawn of a Senator you caused quite an uproar when Angel Filled the State Department in that she was getting campaign funds from hostile nations and various terrorist groups, that and she had used so major mind control stuff to make her opponent think that he was a sexual predator. Gunn there are several guys downstairs that want to pin a medial to your chest for taking that bitch out. " Spike said as Gunn attempted to digest what Spike was saying.

"So I'm a hero, I don't feel like one." Gunn said as he leaned back on his pillow. "So what about the kid who died after those Cops shot him?" Gunn said getting to his street smarts stance on things of what was really important.

"Well, given the mess that went down. The cops have been put on administrative leave following the incident. But old Blue here has offered to help with the religious services to honor the kid. But When I mentioned that you were a lawyer, do you how fast the words of Apology came out to that kid's family, man Blue here threatened to disembowel a journalist if they set foot in this building. " Spike said pointing to Illyria.

"He was disturbing your healing process as well as the other warriors that came to help us." Illyria leaned closer to Gunn. "I grabbed him by his reproductive area to make my point after he touched my behind and called me Cat Woman." Gunn just looked at her some.

"Illyria you look like Fred but you don't. It's like you look like her sister." Gunn said as Illyria did her bird head move thing whenever a situation arose of when she didn't know how to react or just confused about which of her natures she was to use.

"I have attempted my best to comply to some of Wesley's wishes of not being Fred, but I feel that I have to take a human form so I can feel comfortable in this world. I have seen some of the other Demons that fought along side with us and the ones called Slayers. They told me to pick a form that looked human, but try to put some of my emotional self into the form that would allow me to feel comfortable in it without screaming the term "Demon Here". Do you like?" Illyria said as if seeking approval from a parent. Spike studied her for a moment and looked her right in the eyes as he sniffed her.

"You look just about right Blue. But your wardrobe needs a major overhaul, that and you smell like you need a bath." Spike said he touched some of Illyria's hair and it felt greasy. It took Illyria moving her head to where she could sniff under her arm and she immediately came up and quickly lowered her arm down as she had bloodshot eyes.

"I smell that repulsive?" Illyria said looking at her other armpit and quickly attempted to raise her head high enough that she would a good distance if she ever moved her arms up. "How do you deal with the stench?" Illyria asked wondering if there was a way for her to get the repugnant sent off of her.

"Blue, there is a little thing called daily bathing and soap." Spike said as Illyria felt like a small child, but Spike noticed that Illyria looked drained, not in a physical power sense but emotionally. Between the battle and Wesley's loss, it had started to add up and she started to Cry.

"I miss Wesley. I feel his memories that I have had with him as well as Fred's. The void is like a giant mouth attempting to devour me from the inside. I feel like something is eating me alive, yet I wish for darkness, for nothingness or for him to be brought back." Gunn reached over and stroked the side of Illyria's very warm and very human cheek.

"It's called being alive Blue. It takes time for you to climb out of the void after someone dies. It feels like it will be another lifetime, but you will go on. I have been there and I feel it too. You are not alone in your loss, me and Spike will help you through this." Gunn said as Illyria took her hands and held his hand on her cheek as if to check if it was really there and not some illusion.

"I will stay with you Charles." Illyria said as Gunn looked at her understandingly.

"Illyria you need some rest; go with Spike and get yourself cleaned up; I'll be okay here." Gunn said as Illyria looked at him worried.

"I want you to be safe." Illyria pleaded as the Fred aspects of her newly merged personality started to come through. Both Gunn and Spike knew how she was feeling that was when Spike stepped outside and brought a friend in.

"Well Little Shiva you won't have to worry about Gunn being left defenseless." Spike said as he moved to conceal a person so that Gunn and Illyria couldn't see who was behind him.

"You might remember this person from that big rumble we went through Gunn." Spike moved and behind him stood the young reddish haired fashion conscious English Slayer who had saved their butts several nights earlier. "My I present to you Vi, the Vampire Slayer." Spike said as Gunn attempted to get up to get into a better position but gave up and just laid back. Illyria just studied the young girl taking notice that one o her arms was in a cast.

"You are injured." Illyria said stating the obvious.

"Yeah, well I broke my arm during the mess. But I had the Doc put a metal plate in the cast so that I could have a weapon while my arm heals. Heck I got the idea from a football player that did the same thing back in the nineteen eighties here in America." Vi said as Spike just moved away from her some.

"Hey she's a Slayer, I wouldn't mess with this missy." Spike said as he moved over to Gunn. "So how has Blue been treating you?" Spike said attempting to change the subject.

"Well I think she needs some time to decompress. All of us do." Gunn said as he looked at Illyria.

"Yeah we all need time to think. Hey another major Apocalypse down, and I'm not non-corporal. That's a plus." Spike said as he had memories of nuking the Hellmouth.

"Well I think you better take Blue here home." Gunn said as Illyria got up and Vi moved over to look at her.

"Yeah, " Spike said as Vi looked at Illyria.

"You are like the one called Kennedy. You are young, but I have seen your kind fight. You have much potential as warriors even with the stolen magic's the flow in your bodies." Illyria said as she sensed the girl's magic's.

"Yeah, how did you know that I went from being a Potential to full blown Slayer due to a spell." Vi said looking at Illyria.

"I sense it on you, but I feel better with you being here." Illyria said as she put her gloved hand on the girl's shoulder. "Take care of him, while I rest."

"Will do," Vi said as she pulled out her stake from her jacket. The stake looked very ornate with its curves and handle. But the point had something written on it in black ink. For Illyria it was probably some spell or a chant the warrior used before battle to shield her from harm.

"Good," Illyria said as she started to leave with Spike as he took his coat off and placed it over Illyria's leather cat suit so that when she was walking down the halls she looked as normal as possible. "Make sure Gunn eats well. I want him to regain his strength." Illyria said as she left with Spike.

"Hey Blue, I'm eating. I just don't like the food here." Gunn yelled in protest to Illyria as she left the room. Unseen by him she was grinning at his remark.

* * *

Angel was looking over the paperwork he had to go through at the Hyperion Hotel. Between the dozen or so Watchers, Initiative Agents, Slayers and fifteen local officials that wanted to know what the heck he had in the Wolfram and Hart offices since the Senior Partners decided to collapse the building down on its self in a loose attempt to kill him. But he had gotten out along with Eve, but Eve had fled after a block or so from the building. He knew that she would be coming for him but for right now this was a time for grieving and rebuilding.

"As you can see here Angel, as a former operative of the Initiative who shall I say have not been taken off of the books, I am enacting your status of being active." Agent Riley Finn said to Angel from across the table.

"Okay, you want to know about the entire T-class sub mission." Angel said wondering if this was what it was all about as he felt that this guy had a reason to peg him as being a troublemaker.

"No actually you did your mission to get the sub and neutralize the threat." Finn said to Angel as he reached into his suitcase and pulled out a fairly sizable folder that he placed on the table. "This is about what was really going on at the offices of Wolfram and Hart." Finn said as he opened the folder and flipped through several pages and several very large photos. "We have Zombie body parts, Mummy guts and wrappings, a fairly large sarcophagus that seems to have several jewels removed, an lobotomized immortal guy strapped up like Hannibal Lecter found in a closet and enough legal documents that indicted several people of high treason and murder." Finn said, as he looked over the next few pages of the file. "I want to know how you wound up in the middle of this, or I swear I will throw you out of this place into daylight and watch you fry." Finn said as he shot up from his chair to tower over Angel.

"Okay you want the truth, I'll tell you the truth. Wolfram and Hart was the base of operations for a multi-dimensional organization that wanted to bring about The Apocalypse. Emphasis on the "The"." Angel said to Finn in a loose attempt to gain some leverage with the Federal Initiative Agent, but only getting himself into more of a pickle than before.

"Well given that we have gotten back the information from the autopsy of the late senator, you were correct about her being a class seven Sub-T, a demonic organism that uses a human body either reanimated or alive to be its vessel." Agent Finn said he took out another large folder containing all of the stuff that the government had recently dug up on the late Senator Lilith Hodgekiss. "Between the accounts you gave us as well as the people she had met with, Homeland Security is putting in serious overtime Angel." Finn said as he looked at Angel. "So will you fill me in on what you have been doing there?"

"Okay," Angel said as he got up and moved over to a bookshelf and pulled out a book that had been in Fred's room. "Have you ever heard of beings known as the Powers that Be." Angel said as he opened the page up to page and set it down by Finn, which Finn started to look at with curiosity. "They are a group of beings that for the past few years I have been working for. Think of them as being a type of trans-dimensional law enforcement group. Think of a NSA slash CIA group whose main purpose is to keep the forces of Evil at bay and stop the occasional Apocalypse" Angel said as he leaned against the wall and watching Finn's reaction.

"So you are doing the something that Buffy was doing in Sunnydale but on an international slash interplanetary level." Finn said as he looked and read some of the text before him.

"Yes..." then it hit him how did he know Buffy. "Listen how do you know Buffy?" Angel said to Finn and Finn replied back.

"We kinda of dated her first year of college," Finn said Angel.

"So you know Mr. Cordo?" Angel said to Finn.

"Yes, I found out who was after me and Buffy had sex in her bedroom and this pink piggy was found on my side." Finn said as he attempted to change the topic back to something other than his love life with the Slayer. "Yeah, lets get back to you telling me about the Wolf, Ram and Hart."

"Well the offices of Wolfram and Hart happen to be one of the base of operation of a trio of beings called the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart. Three of the foulest beings ever to be known. Now they want to add Earth and several other realms to their list of campaigns." Angel said as the information started to set in.

"So what happened with the vortex was their plan for invasion?" Finn said to Angel.

"Pretty much it was their way of getting revenge due to me taking out their liaison generals here on Earth. Each of the guys that my team and me took out were each capable of launching an Apocalypse on their own. But put them together, well lets just say it didn't look good. " Angel said as Finn got the idea.

"So when you mean Apocalypse you men Apocalypse on a Apocalyptic a scale and then some." Finn said as Spike walked in.

"Yeah, and those buggers were just plain dangerous." Spike said as he turned to look at Finn who turned to see Spike.

"Spike..." Finn said as he recognized his friend from the Scooby's.

"So isn't it old soldier boy. So how is the misses. Still kicking monster ass." Spike said as he came into Angel's office.

"Yeah she is, but we are dealing with a pretty nasty Ankle biter." Finn said as he reached into his wallet and pulled out a picture of his wife and his kid out. Spike took a look at the little girl in the photo next to Finn's wife.

"I see that she is a hand full." Spike said as a disheveled Illyria came in behind him. She turned her head in the bird like manner she used when exploring. Finn took a look at Illyria seeing that she had her blue hair and some of the blue stripes fading back in but it looked like it was not a fat thick line, but looked like it gradated from a dark blue at her hairline to a mixture of peach to where it had originally ended.

"She looks well for a human child. But I see that she has warrior blood in her." Illyria said as she leaned on Spike's shoulder as she slowly bit her lip. Finn looked at Illyria some and noticed that this was an individual who was drained emotionally and physically.

"You okay?" Finn said as he moved by Illyria but she reacted by moving behind Spike.

"Hey there blue bird." Spike said as he felt that Illyria was acting like a scared human.

"Spike I am going up to Fred's... My room. I need to undress and bathe..." Illyria said as she disappeared from Finn's gaze and reappeared behind him and walked out the door. "You have a brave child, warrior of the green." Illyria said as she disappeared.

"Whoa, how did she do that?" Finn said as Spike looked at him.

"I think somewhere old Fred and Old little Shiva there decided to agree on the time share of the body they are in. Science geek girl and an Ancient Demon stuck in the same body." Spike said as Riley looked at him.

"I know, it sounds strange to me, but the Powers That Be decided to use Illyria's powers and Fred's science knowledge to help us out. Heck she did close that vortex." Angel said remembering the conference he had with Doyle in the Oracle's chamber.

* * *

"Angle man you have to understand that Illyria has a long road ahead of her lad. Not the type of one that will be easy for her. She is kinda of a rough pre-Buffy, pre 'dillia you. So I would suggest that you and your pal Spike be close to her. She will need all the help she will need." Doyle said with his new face before Angel at the bar Doyle had constructed in the Oracle's chamber.

"So Illyria will be an ally, I know that she is an unknown X-Factor I have to deal with but I feel that she is too alien for me to even start to understand. I mean she has a serious superiority complex and yelling I remember when you were the quote, 'Muck that eats itself'." Angel said as he emphasized the last two words by him placing his hands up and using them to make Parentheses marks in the air.

"I know, but it is all that warrior pride crap she has to sort through, she hasn't realized that the human she is in is still there and I'm not meaning in a memory sense." Doyle said as Angel looked at him as if the guys' head was on backwards.

"You mean Fred is still alive in there?" Angel said looking at Doyle. "We need to get her out. We need to..." Angel was about to say more, but Doyle put a mute on Angel's voice literally as he held up a TV remote.

"Angel," Doyle said raising his hands up get Angel's attention before turning the mute on the control off. "Illyria needs Fred to be inside of her so that the transition can be complete. The prophecy the PTB learned about her states that if Illyria is ever resurrected after the time she was supposed to be brought back she would be permanently merged with shell she wound up in. I do mean merged. Illyria's memories and the memories of the person she was entwined up into were to be merged together along with her personality." Doyle said as he placed his hand on Angel's shoulder.

"So what you are saying is that Fred and Illyria are going to become one being and there is no way to stop it." Angel said in defeat.

"Yes, but give old Blue some time, she has to learn to become human, Wesley understands this. But Illyria will fall down a few times just say you will be there. She will understand, the Fred in her will guide her into becoming what she needs to be." Doyle said as he picked up his glass and took another slug of the liquid inside.

* * *

"Yeah, Well Let's Illyria decompress, she has two funerals she has to take care of in the next few days." Angel said as he looked up to the staircase to see Illyria leaning against the wall as she started to cry.

"What happened to her?" Riley said to Angel.

"She lost a good friend of her's prior to the fight in the alley to one of the bastards we took out. She killed the guy but not before he took out old Wes." Spike seeing the once mighty Demon-Goddess start to break down like any mortal would.

* * *

Illyria walked into Fred's room of the Hyperion Hotel. Angel or probably Wesley had had it restored to the pre-fire fight condition it had been in. Illyria walked around the room sensing memories of Fred's life flow before her as she pulled off her boots to reveal her bare feet. The textbooks she had of the magic called science. Several books on opening dimensional vortexes between worlds, a magazine with an article Fred had written about Trans-dimensional travel and the theories behind it. Then she looked at several pictures on the wall of her and of her friends. That and on one shelf there was a photo of Fred's parents with their daughter on her high school graduation day wearing a red robe and a square brimmed cap with a white tassel on the top. Fred was grinning like mad. Illyria grinned at the memories that this image brought back in her mind. Then it hit her she hadn't accessed the spark she needed to recall those memories. She had changed. Quickly Illyria moved to the mirror to see what she looked like. It had been weeks since she took over Fred's body but as she moved over she looked at her appearance. Not all that much had changed, Illyria still had the stripe that ran from her forehead down the sides of her neck, she still had blue hair, but as she moved closer to her eyes, they were still blue, but the blue wasn't on the surface anymore, it was behind the color section of the human eyes, it was the color of a human blue iris. Her eyes showed that they were no longer demon; they were human. Illyria started to develop a feeling of dread as she looked at her exposed hand. She needed to see her shell's flesh.

Illyria moved and spread out her arms and commanded the garment that she had created from her tome to revert back to their original state of the small gem she had used. As the garment's leather started to turn to liquid on her skin and flow into one of her hands, something in her mind wanted the garment off of her body so that she could bathe.

Illyria watched as the oozing material flowed into her hand where the glove was still attached after she had torn the other one off during the battle with the Forces of the Wolf, Ram and Hart to save Gunn's life. As Illyria started to look at her body she felt that the garment wasn't retracting fast enough so she took her hand and pulled the glove off as the tendrils were flowing into it and placed the pulsing oozing mass on the dresser table so that she could examine her shell's nude form. She looked at her body and realized that she had more blue sections on her skin than she originally remembered. She still had the two blue lines running down he neck but now she realized that they moved in a clear pattern down her arms and ended on the back of her hands. But it was the sections on her body that had been covered by the Shell's garments during her reawakening that she had never seen. She looked at her shell's chest and noticed that there were two sections of blue, one section were under the Shell's mammary organs forming a "W" shape to it which she traced with her hand. She had a strange feeling when she touched it, but as she crossed her arms to touch the same pattern on her arms, she got the same feeling like it was the shell's way of saying, home. But it wasn't until she saw that the third stripe she had running down her front was where Fred would have called her Bikini line that Illyria started notice that the shell had started to mark off its turn, as she reached to the area she felt that it was spongy and like the rest of her exposed skin felt like it had a layer of slime on it. As Illyria started to walk into Fred's shower and turn on the lights she felt that there was a change in how she moved and handled her body. It wasn't until she looked in the mirror of the door and the bathroom mirror at the same time that she took notice of the like blue stripe running down her nude spine. It looked like the same one she had on her bikini line but it looked much darker. The Fred in her took a moment for her to study the pattern and did an experimental scratch of her skin near the area on her front. A small layer of tissue came off in a broad thin sheet in her hand and Illyria just looked at the fragment in her hand.

"Interesting?' Illyria said as she moved into the shower stall. Illyria felt that most of the general knowledge she needed to operate this indoor rainfall device came to her naturally. That was when she reached for the side of the shower door and picked up a washrag along with a bar of soap and started washing herself. Between learning what her new body's bare flesh felt like in her hands, the water almost brought about a calming effect on her as she washed the grime off of her body. Occasionally she would noticed that some of the blue markings she had started to change some as the dead cellular material came off and live warm flesh replaced it. Illyria took a moment to turn off the water and raise her hand to her neck, she was still blue but when she felt the small crease in her shell's neck she felt a pat, pat of blood moving under her skin as she head and felt her heartbeat of her human form for the first time. She was scared. As Illyria moved the rag around her body and started to clean other places on her body, she noticed that some blue on her bikini line started to come off as well as the line on her back and under her breasts. Afraid, Illyria experimented on one of her arms and the markings remained. She wasn't washing all of the blue off of her body, it was as if her shell had adapted to her and she to it. When she reached down to press a bottle something gooey that read shampoo into her hand and started to clean her hair. Some of her blue strands of hair came out mixed with some of the shell's old hair in her hand. Illyria attempted to replace it but the strands didn't stay, they were dead. Illyria reached up and did an experiment in the shower and changed her form some, she noticed that between her shift from her current form to the old Burkle persona, she noticed that some of the form did change while the rest didn't but the biggest shock for her was when she shell's lower fur just dissolved away given that the shell had a host of bacterial on the skin that had started to eat away the hair and turning it to a goopy mess since Illyria had donned her warrior vestments all those weeks ago leaving the Shell's dead tissues to decay under the sealed garments. As Illyria stood under the water and she was shocked by the sudden sensation as cold water hit her bare flesh as she finished rinsing off the soap and cleaning agents from her hair and skin. She screamed and jumped out of the shower to the shower matt on the floor. As the air hit her bare wet flesh she looked at the mirror and saw herself. She wasn't a demon or a goddess, nor was she a human; she was a mortal. Illyria attempted to use her powers to dry off her form but it only resulted in staying wet. Even swapping to her Fred form only showed a wet naked human standing before the mirror.

"Josh, Gees. Something tells me that wouldn't have worked." Illyria said in a sheepish voice as she reached and wrapped a towel around her body. Then she paused as she had the towel around her body. "Did I say that?" Illyria said in her own voice as she looked in the mirror. Quickly she moved way from the mirror and changed into her blue form, then Illyria attempted to forge garments with her powers but all she did was change the white towel she was in into a vacuumed sealed short white dress that bore some close feau appearance to her warrior vestment bodysuit except for the legs, shoes and the sleeves. She took a step forward but the garment lost its cohesion form and reverted back to being a simple plain towel.

"Crap." Illyria said using some of Spike's modern verbal jargon, then the Fred part of her personality kicked in. "Looks like I'm stuck with what's in my closet?" Illyria said in her Fred voice. Getting worried Illyria moved out of the bathroom and starting searching the drawers for some sleeping garments that Fred wore. When Illyria found a large t-shirt she slipped it on as she remembered that Fred didn't sleep with no lower undergarments on except for her monthly cycle.

Illyria just sat on the bed in the shirt and looked around as she realized that the Oracles were correct that she and Fred were to be merged into one being and it was just starting to set in for her as she pulled a pillow in front of her and started to hug it as she fell onto her side.

"Wesley, I wish you were here to comfort me and tell me what is wrong with me?" Illyria said as she started to cry as she fell asleep. Her dreams would be confusing for her as she slept.

* * *

Fred was standing in front of Wesley at the Wolfram and Hart offices. She was sitting on his desk as her tan blouse and back business skirt captured the light in the wooden room and highlighted her thin lithe of a figure as she looked at him.

"Wesley, your alive." Fred said as she moved to beside of him and sat down on his lap as he sat in his chair.

"Yes I am, Fred what is it?" Wesley said as Fred started to hug him close.

"I was so afraid that I lost you." Fred wanted to smell his scent and feel the roughness of his beard.

"Lost me what do you mean by loosing me?" Wesley said as he reached down to stroke her face.

"I had this nightmare where I was turned into a demon by Knox and I was trapped inside. I so wanted to be free, but due to the way this demon was brought about she felt sorrow for killing me. You wanted to kill her but due to spell that Powers That Be cast on her, she and I were to be merged into one being. I was to help her adjust to the modern world but her pride kept getting in the way. She wanted to be ruler once again even after her empire had turned to dust. But she went to you after you Killed Knox so that she could adjust. You even helped her loose a good chunk of her powers." At this time Fred was crying uncontrollably in Wesley's arms. "She and I felt like you didn't want us, though we tried to conform to what you wanted. She even took my form at my request to protect my parents from the emotional harm of them leering that I was trapped inside or probably dead in a demon body." Fred said as she looked into Wesley's eyes.

"Fred, It's going to be okay."

Wesley said as he held her tight. That was when Fred looked at the codex he had in front of him and the image on the page was of Illyria in her Ancient form.

"What are you researching?" Fred said worried that her nightmare had another purpose to it.

"Well I'm trying to figure out some symbols your office sent down on item that showed up today." Wesley said as Fred started to grow scared.

"What Item" Fred said worried.

"A Sarcophagus that came in today." Wesley replied as Knox came into the room with a container in his hand that looked like shrunk version of the Illyria sarcophagus.

"Hey Wes do you have figured out where this box came from." Knox said as Fred started to cling to Wesley like he was a vital lifeline in a storm at sea. "Oh, sorry if you want me to come back later, I can..." Knox said as Fred looked at him with growing fear and anger inside of her.

"Knox, follower of Illyria of the Primordial; you will not be the one to bring her forth. I have seen the pain that you will bring to me and to her. I cannot allow you to endure such pain." With that Fred grabbed a letter opener from Wesley's desk and lunged at Knox.

"Hey Fred, listen I know that you date ended horribly and that we broke up, but it's no reason to go..." Knox said as he started to move backwards with the mini- sarcophagus in his arms.

"You sacrificed me to her. You piece of Crap." Fred said as she slammed the letter opener into Knox's chest. As Knox stammered backwards the sarcophagus fell to the ground and broke open and covered Fred with its contents. Fred stammered backwards as she started to spit up blood as her skin grew hard and her eyes and hair turned blue. Then something happened as Fred ripped at her garments and tore them off to reveal her nude body. She was growing into a shapeless mass that split into two. Out of the mass two forms started to take shape. One of the forms took up the appearance of Fred Burkle human, while the other transformed into the human form of Illyria.

As the pain ripped through their bodies, Fred got a chance to look at the newborn Illyria and she was scared.

"Fred... I'm scared." Illyria said as she reached out a hand that had blue scales on the back of it. Fred could see the fear in her eyes.

"I know... So am I...." Fred said as she held her twin's hand. Then the two of them looked at Wesley who was holding one of his Berretta nine Millimeters up at the twins.

"Who are you, what happened to Fred?" Wesley said as he held his weapons on the two.

"I'm still here, Wesley." Fred said as she tried to get up off of the floor as Illyria moved to help her up but the two of them fell down on the ground again as cracks in their cheeks started to form.

"Wesley, I love you...." Fred and Illyria said at the same time as the crack continued though the rest of their bodies before exploding and killing Wesley and everyone else on the planet all at once with a thunderous boom. With that Illyria woke up screaming.

The thunderclap outside from the massive downpour of rain had woken her up. Illyria looked around the room and saw the rain pattering down. Illyria got up and moved with a pillow and a blanket and moved towards the window and sat down in a nitch and curled up looking out at the night sky.

"Wesley I'm so sorry that Illyria lied to you about me and her being in the same body. We couldn't tell you... Will you forgive me?" Illyria said as she brought the pillow she had closer to her body and let her tears soak into the cloth. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Illyria, are you in there? I heard a scream, are you okay?" A feminine voice said from the other side of the door. Illyria just sniffled into the pillow with her face before she answered back.

"Yes, I am in here. And... No I am not well." Illyria said back as she slowly broke down.

"Mind that I come in?" The voice said waiting for an answer.

"State who you are, and I will consider it!" Illyria said as an order.

"It's Jo-Ann, Connor's friend. You fought along side me and my Sorority sisters." The voice said behind the door.

"You may enter, the door is not locked." Illyria said, as she remained sited letting the coldness of the window sink into her bare leg. Jo-Ann entered to see where Illyria was sitting, and by the look that Jo-Ann got from Illyria's eyes, was of pure exhaustion.

"Illyria, I came by to tell you that Gunn wants to speak with you." Jo-Ann said as she watched the once powerful Demon-Goddess get up from where she was sitting looking worried.

"Gunn, what is wrong with him? Why does he want to speak with me?" Illyria said as she got up and moved towards Jo-Ann, Jo-Ann looked at Illyria some seeing how this blue being standing before her looked like she had been drug through hell and back as her appearance stated by the t-shirt Illyria had on hadn't gone all the way down one side of her body leaving a good chunk of exposed naked thigh before her.

"Illyria..." Jo-Ann said as she pointed at Illyria. "... You might want to pull your shirt down, you are kinda of flashing." Jo-Ann said as Illyria looked down to see the shirt was failing to cover her form.

"Sorry." Illyria said in an almost sheepishly embarrassing human tone of voice as she slowly blushed while she pulled down the shirt.

"You know, you kinda of feel more comfortable being you, than: "I am Illyria, Warrior Queen of whatever, prepare to die" or "You bad, I Kill."" Jo-Ann said as Illyria studied her with her head tilted to the side like a bird.

"I am not amused by your comment." Illyria said going to full warrior babe mode. "Speak and tell me what does, Gunn want to speak to me about."

"Illyria, he wants to know if you are okay because you have been through a lot in the past few days." Jo-Ann said as Illyria looked at her some more. "He just wanted to know that you are not alone in your loss." Illyria just stood there deep in thought. "In my opinion I came up here to ask, are you okay? Because I heard the scream and I thought that you were having an Nightmare." Jo-Ann said as Illyria just glared at her.

"In my time, Nightmares were real creatures that walked among us, slitting people open and exposing their entrails for all to see. Now they are trapped to go into the minds of humans to torment them and I am not Human!" Illyria spat to Jo-Ann. Jo-Ann looked at her and knew Illyria was posturing.

"Illyria, will you put a sock in it. I know that you are lying, I read people. I see into their souls, I see their true selves and I know that you are scared out of your wits of what that dream brought up." Jo-Ann said as she looked at Illyria with the sense of understanding. "We are fellow warriors here, so if you lie to one of your allies or comrades in arms, it is as if you are going to kill them in the middle of battle and you will not have anyone to your aide when you need it the most." Jo-Ann said as Illyria turned inwards to explore her own mind for the answer. "This will cripple you more than any strike from any weapon. Now I let you decide." Jo-Ann finished.

"I have had disturbing imagery appear in my mind recently." Illyria said as Jo-Ann started to move over to the slept on bed.

"Want to sit down and tell me about it? It might make you feel better and stop them from coming back" Jo-Ann said as she patted a section of the bed motioning Illyria to sit down beside her.

"I choose to do this so that those images do not return again." Illyria said as she moved to pick up her pillow and carried it with her so that she could have something to hold onto and to cover herself with as she sat down by this warrior.

"Illyria tell me a little bit about yourself and of the dream that you had." Jo-Ann said as she quietly sat and listened to the story of Illyria and Fred's existence before they got merged together into one entity. Illyria during the entire conversation felt like she wasn't talking to an inferior but a fellow warrior. Which made her heavily tone down much of when humans were Muck stories she had but it wasn't until she got up to talking about Wesley and how much he meant to her that Jo-Ann offered her shoulder up for Illyria to cry upon.

"You are not some omni-present being that can be everywhere at once. You are only a single individual that only do so much, the rest of it is up to fate and is beyond your control." Jo-Ann said as Illyria slowly bit her lip.

"I wanted to do more. I want to have Wesley back. I have a void in me that I wish to fill, but I feel like I have had my heart ripped from my chest and I can sense it hanging out. I want to have it back in. To be whole" Illyria said with the full weight of her loss came forth and Jo-Ann caressed Illyria's shoulder to let her know that she wasn't alone.

"It's okay, Blue. It's okay... I'll stay here with you to chase the monsters in your dreams away. It will take time and the wound will never go away completely, but you can feel it because you cared so much for Wesley. That is just your soul screaming about its loss. That is just part of being Alive." Jo-Ann said as she and Illyria just sat there until daybreak and Illyria finally fell asleep on her shoulder being a small and very mortal human being.

* * *

Nina Ash was getting off of the plain in LAX and she wondered how much of this town had changed since she had last been here. That was when she saw one of Angel's associates standing with a sign before here. It was Spike, one of Angel's fellow Vampires who she had run into during her stays down at Wolfram and Hart when she went through her going furry stages. Between eating lunch down at the W and H cafeteria she had noticed that he was scribbling on a sheet of paper several lines of poetry down pertaining to Angel and Her's love life, especially the time she mauled him as a puppet. But she knew that the tough exterior he had showed to people, he was actually concerned about people he was close to, especially about his science geek friend Fred. But after he swatted her on the but once, she looked at him and decided to get some revenge on him so she told him that he would have to pose for one of her sculptures for class project she was doing. He said yes, but she failed to tell him that he would have to do it in the nude. The look of shock on his face when he showed up was priceless, especially when she took a photo of it. So after that incident the two of them had gained a respect for each other. He would stop making fun of her and she would keep a particular photo in a safe place. But as a fellow artist she noticed that given some real effort Spike could be published in some legitimate poetry anthologies. So she decided one afternoon to log onto the Internet and post one of his recent works to a web based poetry contest and she was waiting back for the response from them for his poem called "Dawn."

Now seeing Spike down here at the Airport meant that there was something wrong, or that Angel didn't want to be seen down here and placing Nina and the rest of her family in jeopardy and that he was running defense by picking her up. Heck whatever had happened here in LA the person that was After Angel had literally nuked the Wolfram and Hart offices to get to him so she was worried as she approached the Billy Idol-est Vampire.

"Hey Spike... Why are you doing here?" Nina said as she walked up to the Vampire in the long black leather jacket.

"Hey there Love... I see that you have been in the sun, somethin' that I personally can't do myself with the entire bursting into flames and all." Spike said as he took notice of Nina's luscious golden tan.

"Hey there Spike, so what have you been up to since I last saw you" Nina said as her sundress clung to her bronzed skin. Nina's sister Jill and her Niece Amanda looked at Spike like he had three heads on him.

"Um, Nina do you know this guy because there are like twelve other folks holding up signs with your name on them." Jill said looking around the terminal.

"Yeah, will given that Nina, here can smell Angel's sent on me and she can also sense that I have worked with him recently." Spike said as he looked around. Several other people holding up the sins realized that they were outmatched by whatever Nina was.

"What to you mean that you can sense that he works with your boyfriend?" Amanda said looking at her aunt with concern.

"Well Nina, you haven't told your kin about the night that Angel saved your life. That and the following nights afterwards" Spike said as a woman with dark hair and dark olive skin came up by them as Jill and Amanda wondered how the heck Nina knew this guy from. "Ah, Kennedy, I see that you and the rest of your friends have showed up to help me." Spike said as several other figures showed up behind her.

"Hey Spike the main reason that we're doing this is to make sure that these Stalkerratzy don't impeded your trip home with Angel's girlfriend and her family." Kennedy said holding a suitcase and a tote bag in her hands.

"When did you get our luggage?" Jill said a little violated by how her personal stuff was being handled by a complete stranger.

"Well, lets just say we didn't want anyone grabbing your stuff." A man with brown hair in a long black military raincoat said, as the legs of his jeans were somewhat damp from the recent Los Angeles rainstorms. "Oh, and I got rid of the fifteen Lo-Jacks, two GPS units, three protein trackers, and one passive transmitter. Trust me they won't find out where you live or where Angel or the rest of our allies exist at." The man said as he pulled out a plastic bag that looked like it was wet and leaking water all over the floor.

"I kinda gave the stuff a through swirly to make sure it wasn't operational before hitting then with my own personal scrambling gear." The man continued as his dark large teardrop sunglasses started to move down his nose, giving his broad Caucasian face the appearance of someone larger than he was. Several of the guys holding up their cards let them fall the floor realizing that their plans to get an exclusive just went down the drain. That was when the more desperate Stalkerraizty started to come forward with their cameras and started to click away. Data reached into his jacket and took out two slender boxes and clicked them open with his thumbs and let out a total of eight circular disks that when they his the floor took the shape of robotic spiders. When one of the Stalkerraizty started to take photos of one of the little robots it leaped into the air and proceeded to slice the camera apart in his hands with its little tendril robotic legs. Calmly Data looked down at the other robots gathered around his feet and studied them.

"Guys do what Lou just did, take out the exposed cameras in this place that have recorded Nina or any member of her family's images on them. Now seek and destroy." Data said as several of the photographers within a spaced of thirty seconds had their film and their digital cameras they had on them ripped, sliced, mangled, shredded and just plain impaled by Data's robots quicker than old Doc Ock would have ever done in the Spider-Man Comic book. "Now Nina, I believe hat you and your are safe from being on the front page of any tabloid." The man said as the robots started to walk on back to him.

"Thanks Data, for the update." Kennedy said as she moved past him and towards Spike seeing that several of the Stalkerraizty were just looking at the remnants of their cameras. Some of them started to say that they would sue him for every cent he had but Data reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue rubber racket ball that he rolled up onto the finger of his right hand and let it spin. It wasn't until blades started to sprout from the sides of the ball as it was spinning that several of the Stalkerraizty backed off. "So you have seen the _Phantasium_ flicks haven't you so you know what this thing is capable of doing. Now my friends and me are going to escort these folks home. So I suggest that if you want to get some photos, well you will have to wait till later. Now leave or I will introduce this ball to someone's innards." Data said as he flicked the ball into the air and let it land on the back of his hand sideways so the blades remained spinning in a horizontal position letting everyone know he meant business.

"Spike, I would suggest that we get out of here. Data's little slice and dice bots just got the attention of security." Data understood as he put the now retracted blade ball back into his jacket.

"I guess I went overboard with the Ninja Plebes and the Blade Ball." Data Said sheepishly as the robot had started to return to him and started to wrap themselves around his legs and slowly worked their way up his body to form a kind of interlinked sash across his shoulder.

"Okay, lets get out of here folks." Spike said moving away as Nina looked at the scene.

"Aunt Nina," Amanda said looking at one of the Slayers. "I'm getting a weird feeling about this Spike man you know." Nina looked at Spike and noticed that he had several scrapes across the back of his head. "I think he is like your boyfriend." With that Nina knew that she would have to spill the beans about Angel and Spike sooner than she expected, but she changed the subject as she moved towards Spike.

"Spike, how's Angel? Is he as Banged up as you?" Nina said worriedly as they moved into the short term parking structure from the arrival terminal.

"Yeah, he is considering that he went toe to toe with a dragon and Hamilton back to back." Spike said as they got to a red 2004 Plymouth Minivan and Data took out a pair of car keys and activated the remote doors on the van.

"Here," Data said as he handed the keys to Kennedy and got into the passenger front seat. "You may want to drive. You know more about defensive driving than I do and I need to make sure that the stealth system works right." He said as he got in and flipped open a screen and started to tap on the touch sensitive display as a diagram of the minivan started to rotate around next to a energy graph and several up and down control buttons.

"Listen Spike mind that I make a call to Angel." Nina said as Spike handed her a cell phone.

"Sure love, try Angel's cell he has it on him." Spike said as he got in and helped Kennedy and Connor place the bags in back. Nina stood there in the parking structure as she listened to the line ring several times before it picked up.

"Angel." The voice said on the other line.

"Angel its Nina." Nina said as she listened to the phone.

"Hey Nina, sorry about not being there to pick you up." Angel said, as there was a ruffling of papers in the background. "I've been a little busy with the state department." He said, as there was a sudden crash in the background. "Illyria..." Angel yelled, as there was a sudden drop of the phone as she could hear him running across some cavernous room. Then there was the sound of a woman sobbing.

"I want Wesley back.... it hurts Half-breed. Does all of humanity feel this way when someone close to them dies." A woman's voice sounding so close to Fred's that the woman could have been a good voice double for her in a film.

"It's going to be okay Illyria... I miss Wesley too. He was my friend, but you are not alone in your loss... remember Gunn..." Angel said as Nina listened to this conversation. Whoever this Illyria was, she was in pain.

"Um, Hum." The woman confirmed between sobs.

"Well he needs you." Angel said as Nina could hear the tears forming on the girl's face with her enhanced hearing. "Now what would Wesley have said if he had seen you like this?" Angel said as Nina heard the girl wipe her nose.

"That I truly now know what loss is..." Illyria said almost coldly in an attempt to sound disconnected.

"No that you are in some part Human." Angel said as he listened for a response. "You have only touched on your demon side which gives you physical strength. But it is your human side that gave you the strength to avenge his death at the hands of Vale. Illyria it is going to be a long road for you to deal with this side of you. The fact that you cared about a human and is it affecting you has shown that you are not weak; you are alive and know what life is and have become stronger because of it. Don't let that slip from you or Wesley's death will be in vain." Angel said as Nina could hear the girl next to Angel heartbeat pump a little slower as she calmed down.

"Angel are you, okay?" Nina said as she listened some more to the line. It took a moment or two for Angel to Answer as he walked the girl over to some couch and sat her down.

"Hey Nina." Angel said as Nina could hear him get up and move across the large room, which was probably a lobby in an office building or a hotel. "Sorry about that, I have just busy dealing with one mess after another. So how was Cabo? Sorry that I wasn't there." Angel said trying to say he had royalty screwed up.

"I understand now. You wanted me safe." Nina said as she heard Angel sit down. "But why didn't you tell me that you had an horde of demons to deal with." Nina said upset.

"Nina I was being watched and I couldn't tell you. Listen I'll make it up to you by telling you everything that has happened and that led up to me fighting for my life. If you want to leave me because of it then I won't have any regrets, but I have to tell you this. Will you give me this chance so that we can start clean?" Angel said laying his love life and his heart on the line.

"Okay Angel, I'll give you this chance. But if you lie to me I'll personally drive a wooden stake into your chest." Nina said making her point clear.

"I understand Nina." Angel said with a gulp before asking her politely his next few words, "Can you put Spike on so I can talk with him." Angel said to Nina as she handed the phone over the Billy Idol-esq. Vampire.

"Yeah... Um Hum, Understood mate. I will treat her with the same compassion as I did Buffy's Kid sister Dawn." Spike said as he hung up the phone.

"Well ready to go." Nina said as her sister looked at her.

"Nina, Listen. I want to know more about this guy you are dating, but given that the guy in the front seat has a set of Ninja spider bots on his body. I'm a little weary about getting into a van with him." Jill said looking at Data in the front seat.

"Well Data is just being Data, he is doing what Angel just told him to do, to keep your family off of the front page of the paper and the tabloids." Spike said as he gestured for Nina and her family to get in the van.

"Yeah, but come-on who uses Ninja spider bots as weapons." Amanda said looking at one of the robots on Data's shoulder.

"Well actually they aren't mine." Data said looking sheepishly. "Their my Girlfriend's and she built them to shall I say help her track down her stuff in her room." Data said as one of the robots detached from the slash and moved towards Amanda and rolled its long legs into four springy feet and started to behave like a kitten as it landed in her lap and started to feau purr as it snuggled near her belly. Spike, Data and Nina looked at the robot as it started to shimmer some and take on the appearance of a real Kitten as something like a hologram formed around it.

"Wow." Amanda said as the robot slash kitten started look at her.

"Well, I'll be..." Data said as the van started to move out of the parking structure. "Kat did say that she made her bots able to mimic animals, I just didn't know that she liked kittens." Data said as the kitten-bot started to behave like its form even with a fully functional tail.

"Hey she fells like cold metal, but I can almost feel fur on my arm." Amanda said as her mother looked at the creature as it started to play with her.

"So Nina... How did you meet my Dad?" Connor said attempting to change the subject and learn about Nina.

"Dad, what do you mean Dad," Nina said as she turned around to Connor and started to notice several of Angel's facial features on his face.

"Wait a minute, Angel is your father, and you little bugger..." Spike said behind the necro-tempered glass of the Van as they headed down the night streets of Los Angeles.

"Yeah, well considering that a few years back Wolfram and Hart brought back Darla from the dead, made her human so that they could get to Dad. She and Dad hump a few times." Connor said as Spike and Nina like he was nuts.

"Wait a minute Angel is your Father." Nina and Spike said at the same time in shock.

"Yes, he is now where was I?" Connor said as he started to remember where he was at with his story. "Oh, yes. Well Darla was getting sick due to some illness she had before they turned her from Vamp to human, she was sick with some sort of virus that effected her heart. Mom gets grabbed by some Vampire called Dru, who mom sired." that was When Spike burst in again.

"Dru as in Drucilla, my ex-girlfriend for over a hundred years. Dru... the one that left me for some Moss Demon." Spike said with his jaw dropping to the floor.

"Hey I'm tell you what Dad told me about my mom." Connor said, as he had to continue again. "Lets see Mom gets vamped again, this time I'm in her womb. She and Dru go do their evil feeding frenzy thing all over LA, in the process eating several members of the Board of Wolfram and Hart a few years prior to Dad joining the firm and running the LA Branch." Connor said as Nina was soaking all of this into her head. "Dad goes all Rambo trying to stop her. She disappears goes to South America; I start to grow like mad in her womb. She freaks and comes back to LA scared of the growing soul inside of her showing her humanity to her along with the face she has a half dozen or so Vampire, Demon and Demonic researchers after her to see how a Vampire could conceive a child." Connor pauses as he tried to sort out what he knew so far and what he had already said. "Well make a long story short, Dad had his hands full keeping her safe. That was when some old enemy of Dad's blows into town by the name of Holtz and goes Vamp hunting for Mom and Dad, But before he can get to mom and Dad, Dad grabbed Mom and they go on the run when she goes into labor while a deranged Vamp cult is after them. Mom knows that the only way that they can continue running is that she has to die so I can be born." Connor pauses for a long time before he said the next few words. "She grabbed a stake from my dad and plunged it into her chest and when the dust settled I was laying there a new born baby converted in my mother's own dust." Connor just stopped for a moment as it sank in.

"So, you grew up without your mother?" Nina said to Connor realizing how hesitant Angel was about becoming a father. He was afraid that he would lose her too.

"Yes, well kind of. See Angel had this Secretary and close friend named Cordillia who was part Demon and they wanted to raise me as their own child. But that wasn't to be, because Holtz, Angel's old enemy blew back into town grabbed me, fled to a hell detention raised me there to hate Angel. I came back and tried to kill my dad, well considering that when I learned that Holtz lied to me after his death, it took me some time to recover from that. Then with the entire Jasmine brain washing where she turned me into one of her foot soldiers and put Cordy in a coma that I finally went nuts and did a little hostage taking. Trust me Dad had to cut a deal with Wolfram and Hart to construct a set of memories for me as they wiped my mind of my past experiences all so that I could have a normal life." Connor said as much of the information he attempted to say just came into disjointed thoughts.

"Yeah well when some sorcery dude needed Dad's help he did a little blackmail thing on him by forcing me to use my powers for the first time after he had me hit with a truck. Then the rest of the event turned out to be fairly interesting as Wesley broke some magical memory hard drive and I got my memories back and trust me I have two sets of memories to contend with. One of just being a normal kid living with the normal dysfunctional family and the other set being from the Destroyer from Quartoth." Connor said as Kennedy turned to look at him in the rear view mirror while driving.

"Listen do you know what spell was used on you because there is a Slayer that is a little nuts that it might help her deal with her powers." Kennedy said remembering hearing about Dana.

"Yeah you can do that freaking Spell on that insane Slayer Dana so that she doesn't have this crazy urge to cut people's hands off okay." Spike said as he rubbed his wrist remembering where Dana had taken a bone saw to it and cut his hand off.

"Hey I don't know, but probably Angel Knows, maybe Illyria because she was there when it was broken." Connor said remembering seeing the Blue demoness.

"Okay, let me get this straight, Your Angel's son." Nina said as she attempted to digest the information she had just heard. "You went nuts, now you are sane due to some spell and you are slightly from a dysfunctional family." Nina said thinking of the fact that she wish she had told her sister the truth about her being a werewolf.

"Yes." Connor said as Jill and Amanda just looked at Nina like she had grown a second and then third head on her body.

"Okay, I think there is more to Angel than I thought I knew." Nina said as she sunk down in the seat.

"Okay Dog Girl, thinking that Angel was holding out. Trust me there are things that he himself doesn't know about. So just leering that he has a bloody kid is nothing. I dated a Slayer whose baby sister turns out to be some inter-dimensional key. Trust me, when you learn that nothing is strange any more." Spike said as Jill and Amanda looked at Nina some more.

"Aunt Nina, what does this Spike guy mean by "Dog Girl?"" Amanda said seeing that her aunt was getting into more of a pinch. Suddenly Nina sprung forward.

"We're not going to the Wolfram and Hart offices?" Nina said worried.

"Well it kinda of got nuked by the Senior Partners of Evil Inc." Data said as he looked around the streets and seeing several trucks of National Guard troops and Police officers barricading the area and attempting to keep trouble makers out.

"Oh, so where are we heading?" Nina said with worry growing.

"To the Hyperion Hotel. Angel, he did buy it a couple of years back when he was a Private Investigator." Spike said as he saw the form of the Art-Novo hotel come into sight.

"Wow, he owns the place." Nina said seeing the structure.

"He has been working on the place over the years, but with the occasional Apocalypse coming up here and there, he still has a lot of work to do." Spike said as the van pulled into the hotel's parking lot.

"Okay, I have the feeling that when a Vampire like Angel decides to do a project, he needs something that will keep him occupied for a few decades." Nina said seeing the size of the place as she got out of the van in the hotel parking lot.

"Yeah, well considering that just last month some demons with assault weapons decided to target old Illyria for execution, but she left like a eight body count in her wake. The cleaning crew Angel hired hasn't even finished pulling the demon's gray matter out of one of the walls." Spike said as he opened the doors to the main lobby carrying two tote bags under his one of his arms.

"This must be a really big...." Nina stopped speaking as she saw Angel on the floor wearing a work apron and dark work clothes busily scrubbing along with a blue haired Fred who was in Red Sweat Pants, and a Red Baseball sports t-shirt with her hair in a reversed cap to clean a large fifteen foot in diameter red pentagram off the floor.

"Okay," Angel said out of breath. "Two years, six magic talismans, fifteen industrial cleaners, several magically enchanted cleaning brushes, and a particle accelerator mixed in with some superhuman strength, we now have a break in a line." Angel said as he got up off of the floor to see where he had erased one segment of the pagan marking.

"Angel," Nina said moving over her vampire lover.

"Nina, Hi." Angel said getting up off of the ground and Jill and Amanda saw Angel in full Vamp face.

"Wow, I haven't seen your Vampire face other than on TV." Nina said as she slowly traced Angel's bumpy forehead and brow with her fingers.

"Listen, I know I was a jerk that last time we...." Angel was cut off when Nina hauled off and kissed him passionately on the lips. Nina let her tongue explore the area around Angel's fangs and noticed one thing. One of his fangs was shorter than the other. As Nina slowly moved away Angel had changed back to his human face.

"Nina..." Angel said almost out of breath.

"I know, but you could have told me that you were in 'Save the World' Mode." Nina said as she looked at Angel with a bit of anger in her eyes.

"Nina I was being watched and I didn't want you and your family to be held hostage during the mess." Angel said, as he looked Nina in the eyes.

"Yeah, well you could have told me that you had a son." Nina said as Connor came up by Angel.

"Hey, it kinda of came out during the conversation with her Dad." Connor said as Angel looked at him. "Trust me, I just wanted to know what my Step mom would be like." Connor said as Nina realized that given how screwed up this kid was in life. He was surprising normal; heck he was part Vampire after all.

"Nina, there is something you are not telling me and I know it." Jill said as Nina started to sheepishly look at her feet.

"Jill there is something that I haven't told you about the night that me and Angel met." Nina said as she took a deep breath, then Fred did something that was out of Character that got everyone's attention. It was as if she was having a panic attack.

"Must get outside." "Fred" said as she pulled off her gloves as she attempted to deal with something under her skin.

"Illyria, calm down." Angel said as he and Spike rushed over to where she was standing. Nina watched the scene unfold before her.

"Gunn, I hear Gunn calling out to me." Illyria said as she fell down on her knees. "I see him on the floor dead, then I see him hurt." Illyria stammered as electricity flowed between her fingers making wide arcs that scared the crap out of Nina, what had happened to Fred to cause her to have these types of powers?

"Blue, calm down..." Spike said moving over to her as the electricity started to subside.

"Gunn... Gunn was having a nightmare. The beast was hurting him, then he woke up." Illyria said as she looked at her hands. "Angel... Am I a Half-Breed?" The question was not so much targeted towards Angel but a reflection of what "Illyria" was thinking.

"Blue, did you read Gunn's mind?" Spike said as he slowly rubbed the tears coming out of "Fred's" face. All "Fred" did was nod up and down.

"Is this part of what happened when you Saved Gunn's life?" Angel said as Nina started to move over to "Fred" or Illyria as she was called now and sat down on the floor next to her friend.

"I believe it is... But I do not know my place. Wesley my guide is dead, Gunn is being healed; and I feel that I am not connected to anything. The only people I feel comfortable with is with Spike and the ones called Slayer." Nina slowly took her hand and started to stroke through Illyria's blue hair.

"Wesley is dead!!! How did he die?" Nina said as she saw Illyria's cobalt blue eyes.

"One Red one called Vale took his life. He stabbed Wesley with a mortal wound. I was there after I had taken care of the ones I was sent to slay. He lay there as blood coming out. He wanted me to lie to him and I did. But my tears were real... My pain, the Vale mocked me calling me a "Weak little girl." I struck him dead." Illyria started to cry as all the repressed emotion she had started to come out of her like the crushing floodwaters of a desert river. Then Jo-Ann and Kennedy came down the stairs after putting down Jill, Nina's and Amanda's bags on the floor.

"Illyria, listen... If you want you can stay at Slayer house for a few days it might help. Its closer to the hospital, and you can visit Gunn quicker with out having to deal with the traffic." Kennedy said as she noticed Illyria calm down some.

"Yes... I choose so." Illyria said as she felt that this warrior also had felt loss in her life.

"Good, how about we go up to your room and get you some stuff." Jo-Anne said as she helped Illyria up off of the floor.

"The floor, I must help Angel remove the mark there." Illyria said as she turned to where the broken pentagram was still there.

"Blue, don't worry about that. We can get to it later, right now you look like you need to decompress, Love." Spike said as Illyria looked up at him.

"White haired one. When I sufficiently recover, we shall spar again and talk about what it is to be human." Illyria said as she leaned on Kennedy's arm.

"That will be something I can't wait for." Spike said as Illyria turned to Nina.

"Nina..." Illyria said as she raised her hand and touched the side of Nina's face. "Your kin will understand you better if they see you transform." Illyria said as she searched Nina's eyes. "You must tell the story before the moonrise seven days from now. I will stand guard and prevent you from harming them." Illyria said as Nina's eyes saw the humanity and the monster hiding behind her eyes.

"Illyria, don't let the monster inside of you win out over your humanity. If you do, then you just become a shell with no purpose in life. Don't become that." Nina said as Illyria looked at her.

"I will not become a shell, Wesley showed me what a shell is and I know what it is to be empty. I am trying to make sure that there is still something in here that he would be proud of." Illyria paused for a moment and looked at one of her hands that had several stitches in it from a large cut it had received and traced the line with one of her fingers. "I'm mortal and alive. Is this what you wanted to show me. To be alive?" Illyria said as she moved away from Nina as she started to move to one of the potted plants in the lobby and started to caress a leaf on it.

"Illyria what is it?" Angel said as he moved towards her.

"Angel, you and Nina must communicate and have intercourse with one another. I must go with the Slayers and learn their ways." Illyria said as she moved to the stairs and disappeared from sight leaving Nina and Angel looking at each other.

"Did she just say that she wanted us to have talk and have sex?" Nina said with her eyes bulging out of her head.

"I think either that there was a miscommunication over what she said or she knows something we don't?" Angel said as he moved over by Nina and hugged her on the side.

"Okay before the two of you do your dirty little deed..." Jill said from the doorway. "Please fill me in on how the two of you met." Angel and Nina looked at each other and decided to do rock, paper, scissors over who would start the tale of how they met first.

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I hope that you liked this story and I'll be starting a new story focusing Illyria and her stay at Slayer House. It will be Called _Illyria the Sla_yer, so I'll wait for your posts.

For those who reviewed this story, thank you. Oh, if you are wondering why I am ending this story early. It is the fact it is turning into a monster, so to keep characters down and make sure everyone knows who is who it will be broken into several sagas.

Thank you all,

Shannon Hearn

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